Xhixho: Erion Veliaj has turned Tirana into a machine that generates money for him and his people

Vice President of the Freedom Party, Erisa Xhixho, in a statement to the media, said that Erion Veliaj has turned Tirana into a machine that generates money for him and his people.

Xhixho said that the strong connection with crime makes the Municipality of Tirana open the door to dirty money.

Statement:

The capital city starts this year with another antisocial budget and a construction boom with dirty money. The strong connection of the Municipality and the government with corruption and organized crime is being cemented daily in thousands of cubic meters of concrete that are being poured into every space or height where construction can be done.

A few months ago, the British newspaper "The Times" estimated that 2.85 billion euros of criminal and drug money is laundered through the construction sector in Albania, especially in Tirana.

Drug money laundering and corruption have raised the price of housing, making it impossible to buy an apartment.

It takes a young couple 70 years to buy a house in Tirana. From 1000 euros per square meter, today the price has reached 4 000 euros per square meter.
Let's make a comparison with the region:
Tirana 2500-4000
Zagreb 1400-3000
Belgrade 1500-3500
Prishtina 600-2000
Sarajevo 700-2000
Ljubljana 2300-3800

As is clear, we have the most expensive price per square meter, both at the minimum and maximum cost. Since 2015, permits have been issued for ten million square meters of construction.

The strong connection of criminal groups, initially with the Italian mafia of 'Ndrangheta, and then with cartels in Colombia and Ecuador, and the willingness of the Municipality of Tirana to open the city's doors to the money generated by their criminal activity, has increased the benefits of the mayor and his 5D directors.

Meanwhile, what is the cost of living in Tirana compared to countries in the region? Tirana is the most expensive city in the region.

According to the Numbeo index, for the high cost of living, we rank first in the region, leaving behind Belgrade, Skopje, Sarajevo, Podgorica, and even Sofia, Bucharest, and Budapest.

We have the highest cost of living, but the lowest salaries and pensions in the region. 43% of Albanians' monthly income goes on food.

It's the same majority that mocked the day before the reduction in the price of electricity by just 1 lek!

The unbridled pace at which construction is taking place does not go hand in hand with the services or investments of the Municipality. At the beginning of each school year, the mayor counts the restored schools.

However, even today, Astir, Kashari and Yzberishti still do not have a pre-university school building. This growing area, which currently has over 70 thousand inhabitants, has been deceived in the construction of schools in nine years.

In April of last year, just before the elections, the mayor promised the residents of Astir “5 schools that will be the envy of the world.” Fraud! Parents are forced to travel in traffic to take their children to schools in other neighborhoods of Tirana.

Citizens pay 1800 lek tax for educational infrastructure. Since the introduction of this tax in 2016 until the beginning of 2023, a total of 51 million euros have been collected from families and businesses. Where has this money gone? In the pockets of the directors of the 5D company or the owners of the non-existent incinerator?

What are the decisions of the Municipality of Tirana regarding this situation, where do the citizens of Tirana stand?

Nothing. The 2025 budget will finance the corrupt schemes that have sprouted and grown during his years in office.