From 'non grata' to interception with Abdylaj e Shijak, the strong 'spots' of Vangjush Dako before his arrest

The former mayor of Durrës, Vangjush Dako, was arrested today by order of SPAK, under the charge of abuse of office and falsification of documents for a construction permit granted 11 years ago. Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime has also issued 9 arrest warrants for 9 former officials of the municipality of Durrës who are suspected to have been involved in corruption, abuse of office and falsification of documents.

Dako surrendered to the Police Directorate of Tirana, a few minutes after the announcement that SPAK, after being accused of abuse of office, in relation to a building built in the center of the city of Durrës, the building which suffered great damage from the 2019 earthquake. .

Likewise, SPAK's investigation of Mr. Dako has also extended to the verification of assets, requesting verifications from various institutions.

Dako's 'tainted' past

Earlier, Vangjush Dako was part of the verifications in a SPAK file, which talks about the organization and buying of votes in the Durrës region.

Në dosjen me nr.339, ai del në përgjime, teksa flet me anëtarë të grupit kriminal Avdylaj në Shijak për blerjen e votave.

Në maj 2019, Dako u pyet për 5 orë nga Prokuroria e Krimeve të Rënda për lidhjen e tij me grupin e Avdylajve të Shijakut, si dhe për shit-blerjen e votave në zgjedhjet lokale të vitit 2017.

Emri i tij u shpall “non grata” nga Departamenti i Shtetit, bashkë me ish-kryeministrin Sali Berisha, ish-deputetin Tom Doshi dhe ish-kryeprokurorin Adriatik Llalla.

Në dokumentin e Departamentit Amerikan të Shtetit, thuhej se “ka informacion të besueshëm, se zoti Dako ka qenë i përfshirë në korrupsion gjatë mandatit të tij si kryetar i Bashkisë së Durrësit”.

Edhe pas shpalljes familjarisht “non grata” nga SHBA-të nga autoritetet amerikane “për korrupsion madhor”, Prokuroria për Krime të Rënda e ka marrë sërish në pyetje.

After 3 terms as mayor of Durres, the name of Vangjush Dakos was not chosen by the Socialist Party to represent Durres for another term.

After the US decision, Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the former mayor of Durrës:

"Vangjush Dako is and will remain my friend. The State Department does not determine for me who I am friends with and who I am not. But, can you be sure that with Vangjush Dako, neither he asked me nor I asked him, I have never committed any violation of the law of the Republic of Albania", stated the prime minister invited to the show "Opinion".