The subordinates "got burned", has it been the "boss's" turn?

SPAK has begun to uncover an entire structure of abuses in public procurement, where Belinda Balluku's subordinates and associates are taking turns to be indicted one after another.

Meanwhile, today it was the "boss'" turn to face the accusations by being investigated by Spak. But let's take a step back in time, to recall the minister's subordinates and friends who have been named as defendants.

The head of the Public Procurement Commission, Jonaid Myzyri, the former director of KESH, Erald Elezi, the director of ARRSH, Gentian Gjyli, and the former head of ARRSH, Evis Berberi, are just some of the 25 people who are currently being investigated for violations of equality in tenders and abuse of office.

Myzyri, a close associate of Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku, has been summoned along with his lawyer to be questioned as a defendant. He is accused of the criminal offense of violating equality in tenders, committed in collaboration. SPAK suspects that Myzyri allowed abuses in tender procedures conducted by the Public Procurement Commission during the years 2020–2023.

We recall that Myzyri was a lawyer at Arbër Abazi's "Alko Impeks" company, while the latter is married to Belinda Balluku's niece (his sister's daughter). This company has seen strong growth during the years that the left has been at the helm of the country. There are a large number of tenders, from north to south, that have been won by Arbër Abazi, sometimes in violation of the prosecution criteria.

SPAK has previously indicted the administrator of the Albanian Electric Power Corporation (KESH), Erald Elezi. He has been charged with the criminal offenses of "abuse of office" and "violation of equality in tenders".

This is the same investigation where the director of the Albanian Road Authority (ARRSH), Gentian Gjyli, was also taken into custody, and he was also summoned to SPAK to be charged. It is learned that there are a total of 25 people and 3 company entities who have been taken under investigation and charged with "abuse of office" and "violation of equality in tenders", including businessmen and public officials, as well as an ARRSH engineer.

Among them, the former head of the Albanian Energy Regulatory Authority, Evis Berberi, has been named as a defendant again. Among the abused funds and tenders are those for Electricity Efficiency subsidized by the EU.

All of these institutions, which are suspected of public procurement abuses, are subordinate to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, headed by Belinda Balluku.

Among the defendants and those implicated are the former head of Taxes, Ceno Klosi, and businessmen connected to Balluk's close associates, indicating that the network has extended widely to institutions under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy.

In this context, the question naturally arises, could the actions of subordinates and associates have been carried out without Balluk's knowledge? All traces indicate that the trunk, that is, the deputy prime minister and minister herself, is the key point of the network.

What remains to be seen is whether Rama, the "root" of this political structure, will stand by it and protect it, or will he let it face SPAK's justice.