In a recent development, the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime in Tirana (SPAK) has announced the initiation of investigations and the arrest of two public officials. This scandal unfolded in the picturesque coastal town of Sarandë, where two public servants, one from the Urban Planning Office of the Sarandë Municipality and the other an inspector from the National Territory Protection Inspectorate, have been detained on allegations of accepting bribes. These allegations pertain to the issuance of beach exploitation permits and the failure to demolish an unauthorized building.
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| At the entrance of SPAK |
The investigation is being led by the Sarandë Prosecutor's Office, which subsequently referred the case to SPAK for criminal jurisdiction.
According to the findings of the investigation, two citizens, identified as S. D. and F. D., found themselves in a precarious situation regarding the issuance of a beach exploitation permit in Ksamil, a coastal gem in the Sarandë area. The two individuals had constructed a building without the necessary permits. Shockingly, it has been alleged that a staff member from the Urban Planning Office at the Sarandë Municipality, A.B., colluded with citizens F. D. and S. D. By demanding a sum of 12,000 euros, A.B. is suspected of exerting undue influence on the National Coastal Agency to secure the beach exploitation permit, local media reports.
"In July 2021, citizen A. B. received a sum of 6,000 (six thousand) euros from these citizens and discussions were held to provide the remaining amount when the permit was issued. However, the agreement was not realized, and A. B. returned the monetary sum," as cited in the statement. There are reasonable suspicions that the municipal employee, A.B., has committed the criminal act of "Exerting Illicit Influence over Persons Exercising Public Functions."
However, the predicaments faced by citizens F. D. and S. D. do not end here. They have also been confronted with extortion demands from public officials in connection with a building constructed by them in Ksamil, for which they had initiated legalization procedures.
As per the prosecutor's office, during inspections carried out by the National Territory Protection Inspectorate in 2019, the individual "F. D." was subjected to administrative measures. In March 2020, the inspector from the National Territory Protection Inspectorate, a citizen named J. P., requested a sum of 7,500 euros from citizen F. D. with the promise that the building would not be demolished. After negotiations, F.D. provided a sum of 3,000 euros, and the building was not demolished in 2020, despite the decision for demolition dating back to September 2019. Documentation managed by SPAK has revealed that the said building was only demolished in June 2021.
Regarding the inspector from the National Territory Protection Inspectorate, an investigation has been registered for the criminal act of "Passive Corruption by Persons Exercising Public Functions."