Arben Ahmetaj, former Deputy Prime Minister of Albania leaves before the arrest

 Arben Ahmetaj getting out of the car, archive

 Former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, for whom the Special Prosecutor's Office has requested authorization from parliament for his arrest, is reported to have left Albania. During the meeting of the Mandate Council started this afternoon at the parliament headquarters to discuss the Prosecutor's request, one of his lawyers, Henrik Ligori, is said to have stated that Mr. Ahmetaj is not in Albania. Voice of America has confirmed through official sources that he has left the country's land border for Greece on Friday morning, just a few hours before the Prosecutor's Office sent the arrest warrant to parliament, sources say.

 Arben Ahmetaj crossing into Greece from Albania, at the border point; credit lapsi

Sources close to the Albanian authorities also told Voice of America that Mr. Ahmetaj later purchased an airline ticket online to Italy but did not use it. Other unofficial sources indicate that the last known location based on the signal from his cellphone was Canada.

The same hypothesis was raised by the leader of the Democratic parliamentary group, Gamend Bardhi, during the Mandate Council meeting when he asked the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office, Altin Dumani, about this, but did not receive an answer. If this were true, then it is likely that his departure is final, to evade justice.

The former Deputy Prime Minister is accused of corruption, failure to declare or conceal assets, as well as money laundering. While he publicly denied any connections to the two main entrepreneurs who obtained concession contracts in Elbasan, Fier, and Tirana, Klodian Zoto and Mirel Mërtiri, investigations have revealed strong ties between them over the years. In at least six cases considered by the Special Prosecutor's Office as corrupt acts, the names of the two businessmen are found to be involved in the purchases of four apartments and two garages, sold by Mr. Ahmetaj for a value of 440,000 euros.

 Additionally, over 30,000 euros have been spent by Zoto and Mërtiri to finance trips or stays in expensive hotels for the former Deputy Prime Minister and individuals close to him. In the Prosecutor's case, communications via email with luxury hotels in various European cities have been revealed, regarding the reservation of stays for Mr. Ahmetaj and other individuals close to him. The dates for which the reservations were made coincide with the former Deputy Prime Minister's trips abroad and return to the country.

In March of this year, the Prosecutor's Office seized two villas, one in Hamallaj and another on the southern coast in Palasë, in one of the most exclusive complexes. The first villa was registered in the name of Mr. Ahmetaj's cohabitant, and once again, according to the prosecutor, businessman Zoto is involved in the background. The other villa in Palasë is registered in the name of an associate of Ahmetaj's ex-wife, while the initial requester is the businessman Mond Bega. The Prosecutor's Office has uncovered evidence of how the construction works for the villa were supervised by an interior design studio, commissioned by Ahmetaj's ex-wife, and the case is considered as asset concealment.

The transactions or payments on which the two businessmen rely are considered by the prosecutor as irregular benefits provided by Mr. Ahmetaj, which facilitated Zoto and Mërtiri in obtaining concession contracts.