"He was seen as Rama's 'dolphin'", BIRN: Veliaj arrested for a corruption scheme with a transaction value of over 1 million euros

Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj was arrested around 2:00 PM on Monday, after the Special Court signed the prison sentence previously requested by SPAK for criminal offenses of corruption, committed nine times in collaboration.

Veliaj was filmed leaving the door of the City Hall with a gray folder in his hand, accompanied at a distance by officers of the National Bureau of Investigation, while the screens of several televisions showed him as if he were present at a pre-prepared activity, with the "Live" logo.

The Special Court also imposed a measure of "house arrest" on Veliaj's wife, Ajola Xoxa, and a measure of "compulsion to appear" on five businessmen, including Shkëlqim Fusha of the "Fusha" company, Gentian Sula of the Agi Kons company, and Fatmir Bektashi of the "Kontakt" company.

SPAK also stated that it was conducting investigations against the socialist MP, Klotilda Bushka, also the chairwoman of the Laws Committee, whom it accuses of carrying out active actions "that hinder the discovery of the truth" in the case of the Veliaj file.

"Up to this stage, it is believed that there is concrete data that leads to reasonable suspicion that the person under investigation, KB, has committed active illegal actions that have interfered with the investigation of the proceeding body...," SPAK said in the announcement.

A minister in Rama's first cabinet and mayor of the country's largest municipality since 2015, Veliaj is among the highest-ranking officials of the ruling Socialist Party to be arrested by order of SPAK for criminal offenses of corruption, money laundering, and false declaration and concealment of assets.

According to the announcement of the Special Prosecution Office, Veliaj is accused of having, together with Xoxa, created and put into operation a mechanism similar to that of the 5D file, with the aim of illegally benefiting from public funds flowing from the Municipality of Tirana, a scheme proven by SPAK in nine cases.

According to SPAK, Veliaj signed the distribution of public funds or construction permits to a group of commercial entities closely linked to him, who then transferred these funds to a network of companies and non-profit organizations controlled by his wife, Ajola Xoxa, and people close to her.

"The proceeding body has collected evidence that creates reasonable doubt about the existence and functioning of a corrupt scheme, the analysis of which in summary results that public funds originating from the Tirana Municipality institution have passed directly to the latter's wife and her family circle...," SPAK's announcement states.

The Special Prosecution's investigations show that Veliaj's family circle benefited through this scheme from a villa in Qerret as well as income worth 110 million lek, the origin of which was intended to be furthered through their introduction into the banking system.

SPAK also says that part of the money went to online purchases of clothes and jewelry from Xoxa, which over a 4-year period amounted to 86.7 million lek.

Veliaj and Xoxa are also charged with the criminal offenses of money laundering and false declaration and concealment of assets.

As for the five businessmen, SPAK accuses them of the criminal offense of active corruption.

"These citizens are suspected of having provided irregular benefits to the local elected official and his wife, directly or through NGOs... which consist of real estate (a "villa" type residential building), sponsorships, invoice settlements for fictitious legal consultancy services, fictitious purchases of items, fictitious financing of artistic festivals, travel payments and hotel stays, etc.," the announcement states.

Erion Veliaj, 45, was seen within the Socialist Party as Prime Minister Edi Rama's "dolphin" and a possible successor, before his political figure was tarnished by scandals such as the incinerator affair or a corruption scheme involving the directors of his Municipality, known as the 5D file.

His political career began in the mid-2000s, when Veliaj returned to Albania from studying in the United States and founded the Mjaft! movement – ​​an activist organization that became known for its innovative protests. Veliaj was catapulted into the Socialist Party after failing to become a member of the Albanian Parliament through the G99 political movement in the 2009 parliamentary elections.

In connection with this investigation, the Special Court has ordered the preventive seizure of the bank accounts of Ajola Xoxa and companies associated with her in the amount of 869 thousand euros, as well as other money seized as material evidence during the search of Xoxa's offices in December. Reporter.al