Edi Rama, the dirty trick of the Albanian Prime Minister. How did they get 224 thousand m2 of land

The Democratic Party has denounced today that Prime Minister Edi Rama together with his brother, as heirs of the Koleka tribe, have benefited from an area of ​​22.4 hectares of property in Vuno.

Secretary for Legal Affairs Ivi Kaso says that the uninvested value is estimated at no less than 30 million euros and the invested value up to 150 million euros.

About these facts, the day before Himara.gr writes that: A large land in one of the most picturesque and commercial areas in Albania, the birthplace of Edi Rama, falls through dark and suspicious procedures into the hands of his relatives.

According to the reports of Himara.gr, it is revealed how 224 square kilometers of land in Himara fell into the hands of the extended family of the Albanian Prime Minister, raising serious doubts about how the Albanian authorities have handled this issue.

In 2019, the Court of Appeal of Avlona issued a controversial decision, awarding the heirs of the Koleka family, Rama's relatives, an area of ​​about 224 square kilometers in Vouno (the village in Himare where Rama originates). Specifically, the land was given to Petros Kolekas, Rama's maternal grandfather, and Spyros Kolekas, his maternal uncle.

The case started when Eno Koleka, Rama's son, and his cousin, Endrit Koleka, appealed the decision of the Asset Management Agency (ATP). ATP, on March 30, 2017, rejected the Kolekas family's request for recognition of their rights over the concrete land. But in 2019, an appeals court overturned that decision, awarding the property to the family.

It is important to note that the process appears to have taken an unusual and potentially controversial course. During the trial, the relevant state agencies, such as ATP and ZVRPP (Land Control and Management Area), which had initially rejected the Kolekas family's request, did not appear in court to defend their decisions. This absence, which seems strange, made the legal process take place without the necessary resistance from the state, bringing the court's decision in favor of the heirs of the Koleka family.

This development raises important questions about the integrity of the process. The lack of presence of state actors in court reinforces suspicions of deliberate inaction, which may have paved the way for a favorable decision in favor of the heirs.

Furthermore, the analysis of the case shows that the Kolekas family has benefited from legislative and administrative interventions. In particular, Law 133 of 2015, passed with the support of the Rama government, repealed the previous legal framework and established favorable provisions for real estate compensation. This law provided that, where possible, priority should be given to in-kind compensation to owners, i.e. the return of land, rather than monetary compensation. This prediction seems to have favored the Kolekas family, as the land on the Mountain was claimed as free and thus available to return to the heirs.

But legislative interventions did not stop there. After the adoption of the law, the Rama government issued a series of decisions that regulate the details of the compensation process. These decisions seem to have further favored the Kolekas family, facilitating the process of recognizing their rights over the land.

In particular, government decisions included provisions defining criteria and procedures for compensation and property restitution.

For example, AKR 222 of 2016 and its subsequent amendments established the framework for the recognition of property rights, while at the same time repealing the previous provisions that were stricter regarding the recognition of property rights.

The fact that state agencies that were supposed to protect the public interest failed to do so, allowing the process to evolve in favor of the Koleka family, is more disturbing. These decisions, combined with the inaction of state bodies during the trial, create the impression that there was a concerted effort to benefit the prime minister's family.

This issue has sparked a debate in Albania, where many of them have demanded a full investigation into whether there was a misuse of power or a misuse of the process to benefit the Rama family.