From the arrest to 95% of the lost lands, Jamarbër Malltezit tells the story of a long legal and political battle

Jamarbër Malltezi has spoken at length about the well-known "Partizani" file, the accusations against him and Sali Berisha, as well as what he describes as a "completely political process" of justice in Albania.

 A long historical, legal and political battle has recently been revealed in a new book by Jamarbër Malltezi, which sheds light on the ordeal of Tirana's old owners.

In the second part of the interview on the show "Pasvon" with Alfred Lela, Malltezi has denounced with documents what he calls a politically rigged trial, directly accusing the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) and the judiciary of at least 35 serious falsifications during the trial against him and his family.

"The political prosecutors created the narrative that served them, what the director gave them to say," Malltezi said during the interview, adding that the investigation was built on deliberate political grounds and not on criminal evidence.

The history of property theft, as emphasized during the conversation, begins with the Italian occupation where lands were taken by military requisition, continues with massive seizures by the communist regime, and culminates today with what was described as "captured justice."

According to him, prosecutors and judges, including names like Irena Gjoka, Arben Kraja and Enkeleda Millonaj, are acting under the direct political orders of Prime Minister Edi Rama and exponents like Taulant Balla, who made the initial complaint.

He goes further by stating that the decision-making in his case was politically influenced: "This is a combination of political pressure," also citing public statements by international and domestic political actors.

Arrest and controversial procedures
In the interview, Malltezi also dwells on the moment of his arrest, which he describes as illegal and legally unprepared.

"I told the citizens: this is kidnapping, without papers, without a warrant," he declares, adding that at the time of the arrest, the relevant documentation was not presented to them.

He also claims that harsh measures were used against him without first being questioned: " They never questioned me ," says Malltezi.

The issue of property and family history

Meanwhile, Tirana's founding families such as Begeja, Toptani, Petrela and Llagami have had less than 5% of their legitimate properties returned, while hundreds of thousands of square meters of land remain unclaimed and uncompensated.

In addition to the legal battle, another scandal is the urban destruction of Tirana's New Boulevard. The areas where the backward properties of these families are located, which according to the initial project of the "Grimshaw" studio were supposed to have large recreational spaces, cinemas, swimming pools and ecological corridors with double rows of trees, are being used to build a new concrete ghetto.

According to him, most of the properties have not yet been returned: "95 % of the land remains stolen," while adding that the family has only received a small portion of it.

He also brings historical data, mentioning that the family had "over 950 thousand square meters of land in Tirana" , while today "less than 5% of it" has been returned.

The political debate surrounding the
Malltezi case closely links the judicial process to political developments in the country, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of influencing the justice system.

"Edi Rama defines the narrative," he says, claiming that institutions have acted according to political orders and not on the basis of the law./ Politiko.al

Watch the full interview: