From the exhibition in Hong Kong to the file at the DOJ: How Edi Rama was involved in an international scandal

In 2015, paintings by Prime Minister Edi Rama were exhibited in Hong Kong, in an event sponsored by the Chinese conglomerate CEFC Energy.

At the time, this event was presented as a success of Albanian cultural diplomacy. But today, after the revelation of the file of former FBI agent Charles McGonigal, the course of this event has changed. This is because the exhibition appears as part of a wider network of influence and compromise.

According to reports so far, the Hong Kong exhibition was financed by CEFC, the Chinese company with direct ties to the state and high-ranking figures such as President Xi Jinping.

The sponsorship was not declared on the Prime Minister's asset forms, raising questions about the transparency and true purpose of the activity.

A few days ago, the elected DP MP, Belind Këlliçi, also reacted on social media after the US State Department revealed the file of former FBI chief Charles McGonigal while publishing an early exhibition of Prime Minister Edi Rama, where everything was sponsored by the Chinese conglomerate "China CEFC Energy Company Limited".

In the latter, we recall that Dorian Duçka worked, identified in the McGonigal scandal investigation file as "Person B", the connecting person who sponsored the head of government's event.

"But these exhibitions of Edi Rama's drawings in 2015 in Hong Kong, sponsored by the Chinese CEFC that his close friend McGonigal defended, undeclared by the Prime Minister himself in his annual asset declaration, will SPAK ever see them, or not?!!!

"Not for nothing, but it's been years since we've been talking about McGonigal, his friend Rama and their financial connections, but no one seems to care... SPAK nothing! The media nothing! Rama himself, nothing! Don't worry, you haven't seen anything yet ," writes Belind Këlliçi.

Ducka, the connection between Rama, CEFC and McGonigal

 

 

In the US Department of Justice file, Dorian Duçka, Rama’s former foreign advisor, is identified as “Person B” who connected McGonigal to CEFC. Duçka acted as an intermediary between the Chinese company and Albanian officials, helping to organize the exhibition and establish suspicious contacts.

Renowned Canadian investigative journalist Sam Cooper, in an article published on this issue, points out that in 2017, senior FBI official Charles McGonigal revealed classified information about the CEFC investigation.

But, according to the report, McGonigal gave this information to Dorian Duçka, who worked as a consultant for CEFC, who then passed the warning on to Patrick Ho, a CEFC official and Harvard-educated ophthalmologist considered a "master of espionage" within Xi Jinping's networks of influence.

“Person B,” a former senior Albanian official who worked for the “Chinese energy conglomerate” and had close ties to CEFC chairman Ye Jianming — a close friend of Xi Jinping, according to Gal Luft’s indictment and accompanying documents reviewed by “The Bureau.”

 According to the new report and initial sources published by the New York Times, "Person B" turns out to be former Albanian official Dorian Duçka, a CEFC consultant with a monthly salary of $50,000, who also helped establish business contacts for McGonigal ," the article states, among other things.

Also in 2017, McGonigal allegedly provided classified information about investigations into CEFC, warning Chinese officials of possible arrests. This interference, according to the US inspector general's report, hindered important investigations into arms trafficking and money laundering.

According to the report, McGonigal gave this information to Dorian Duçka, who worked as a consultant for CEFC, who then passed the warning on to Patrick Ho, a CEFC official and Harvard-educated ophthalmologist considered a “master of espionage” within Xi Jinping’s networks of influence.

Even a few weeks later, in July 2017, Ducka met with CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming, a close friend of Xi Jinping, in France.

“In August, Ye told Ho and Luft in Hong Kong that US authorities had arrest warrants for four CEFC figures: Ho, two Chinese nationals and “a person of Jewish origin associated with CEFC,” writes journalist Cooper.

Involvement with the head of government

The Prime Minister's involvement in a dossier related to espionage, corruption and foreign influence has raised serious concerns about the country's reputation. The opposition has demanded an investigation by SPAK, while Rama himself has not given any public comment on the ties to McGonigal or CEFC.

Thus, from a simple exhibition in Hong Kong, to being included in a dossier that has shocked American institutions, the connection between Prime Minister Rama, CEFC and McGonigal is apparently not just a diplomatic case, but a strong signal for the need for transparency and independent investigation. / S.GJ/