"Drug traffickers win tenders in Fier", SPAK does not initiate criminal proceedings for Petro Koç's accusations

The deputy of the Socialist Party, SP for the District of Fier, Petro Koçi made a public statement on July 16, 2021 in which he emphasized that in Fier "the hands of crime are spread over public finances".

Through a status on his Facebook account and in a statement to the media, Koçi accused that public tenders in Fier were being won by criminal organizations operating in this area.

"Protagonists of drug trafficking and violence have already legalized business entities that win public tenders. They do this either through direct connections with any institution holder or through the threat of certain officials who execute the procurements as well as through the elimination of competitors in the tendering process by threatening the owners of the business entities" , Koçi wrote then.

Based on these public statements, the police referred a report on July 26, 2021 to the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, SPAK, which clarified then that it had begun the verification of the case. About two months later, based only on an investigative action, receiving the statements of MP Petro Koçi in the capacity of a person who has knowledge of the criminal offense, SPAK has decided not to initiate criminal proceedings.

In the decision not to start the criminal proceedings signed by the prosecutor Edvin Kondili, the public statements of the MP Koçi about the influence of criminal organizations on the officials in the institutions of Fier, as well as about the benefit of public funds from them, are firstly reflected.

Following are Koç's statements in the capacity of a person who has knowledge of the criminal offense, where he stated that he does not know anything concrete. SPAK initially asked the SP deputy to provide more details regarding his claims published on the Facebook social network as well as in the interview he gave on Report TV.

Koçi explained that he made these statements to encourage and congratulate the results of the justice reform, as well as the work that SPAK is doing in relation to the fight against corruption and organized crime. “[ …]As well as to encourage citizens and officials of different levels to resist the pressures of crime and to denounce cases of corruption. I also made these statements to discourage the world of crime", stated Koçi and added that in his judgment, various subjects of the world of crime have laundered money in the field of construction. "I am convinced that these activities, without the cooperation of public officials, would not be carried out", Koçi gave his opinion to SPAK investigators.

Koçi është përballur edhe me një pyetje tjetër në SPAK, ku i është kërkuar të deklaronte nëse kishte ndonjë informacion konkret për subjektet e krimit të organizuar, zyrtarët publikë dhe për cilat raste bëhej fjalë.

Deputeti Koçi është përgjigjur se deklarimet e tij kanë qenë të përgjithshme dhe në pasqyrim të perceptimit të elektoratit. “[…]Por nuk kam pasur të bëj me individë apo raste konkrete, pasi unë siç kam vepruar dhe në raste të shkuara, do të bëja kallëzim penal nëse do të kisha informacione të tilla dhe nuk do të mjaftohesha me deklarata publike. Unë kam bindjen që institucionet ligjzbatuese, lokale apo qëndrore, disponojnë të dhëna konkrete në lidhje me subjektet e botës së krimit që operojnë në qytetin e Fierit”, ka pohuar Koçi dhe ka shtuar se deklarimet e tij nuk janë mirëpritur nga shumë zyrtarë lokalë.

Bazuar në këto shpjegime të deputetit Koçi, SPAK konstaton se ai nuk disponon asnjë provë, asnjë informacion konkret, asnjë fakt dhe asnjë dëshmitar në lidhje me pretendimet e tij dhe për rrjedhojë konkludon se nuk provohet ekzistenca e ndonjë fakti penal, duke vendosur mosfillimin e procedimit penal.

Asked by BIRN about the changes in the public statements with those given in SPAK, Koçi insisted that they were the same. "There is no difference between my statements in public and those in SPAK. However, I do not replace either justice or the police. The phenomena are as I denounced them politically. I have the duty to politically represent the voter's assessment as well as my personal one for developments and phenomena that are worrying for society and the state", said Koçi via the WhatsApp application.