TIRANA, April 19 – The arrest of a notorious criminal rumoured to have political ties, on suspicions he was responsible for intimidating one of the rector candidates for University of Tirana, has brought into the public eye a series of other alleged crimes committed by the gang, exposing once again the country’s failed justice system.
Emiljano Shullazi, along with two associates, was arrested on Saturday and together officially face six charges, including running an extortion racket.
After news of the intimidation of professor Mynyr Koni emerged, the opposition Democratic Party accused the government of trying to put the country’s main public university under control by using members of the underworld.
“Professor Koni was threatened by the most dangerous mobster in Albania simply because he was not the Prime Minister’s favourite choice, thus creating grounds for the capture of the public university by the government,” said Democratic Party MP Luciano Boci.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister shrugged off the accusations by saying that there is no candidate backed by the government.
“They are candidates who represent themselves, their own abilities, merits and all are equal in our point of view,” Prime Minister Edi Rama replied to the accusations.
The professor publicly admitted of having received death threats, but said he did not know the individuals who had approached him.
It was former Prime Minister Sali Berisha who brought up the name of Emiljano Shullazi as the perpetrator of the threats against professor Koni. Shullazi is also believed responsible for threatening the current rector of the University of Tirana Dhori Kule.
In addition to the professor’s alleged intimidation, the mob is believed responsible for blackmailing several prominent businessmen to pay large sums of money or relinquish their property.
Prosecutors say the owner of an underground parking of 1,200 m2 in Tirana was threatened by Shullazi to transfer ownership of the property to the gang. A bomb was placed in his property after the businessman refused to give in to the blackmail. The businessman, who also holds U.S citizenship, has since left the country for fear of retaliation.
The prosecution has also seized a property in the coastal city of Durres, known as Hotel Vollga, on suspicions it was obtained by forcing the owner to hand over the property.
The donation contract shows that Shullazi received the property as a gift “in a sign of gratitude” .
In fact, Shullazi is notorious for having had several run-ins with the law over the last 15 years, while somehow managing to escape convictions despite the serious nature of his alleged crimes.
An expert from the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) says that while it is no secret that there is no division between public and private office in Albania, the Shullazi case clearly shows that there is no division between criminals and politicians also. This mafia boss has been under the shelter of politics, otherwise it would have been impossible for him to evade the law. Not only has he had the support of politics and state structures, but also turned wealthy thanks to this protection, the expert added.
The opposition has repeatedly accused the government, Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri in particular, of sheltering Shullazi from justice, while such claims have been refuted by the government.
A few years ago, the Socialist Party, then in opposition, accused Shullazi of interrupting an electoral meeting during the local elections campaign in 2011 on behalf of the Democratic Party.
U.S. ambassador in Tirana Donald Lu, who had previously mentioned Shullazi as the symbol of gangsters allowed to walk free in Albania, greeted his arrest. Lu considered Shullazi as the boss of organized crime and called for independent investigations.
“We praise these positive steps and expect that these cases are treated independently,” Lu said.
Meanwhile, the Serious Crimes Court remanded Shullazi and his accomplices in custody on Wednesday pending trial, while the latter have pleaded not guilty.
Strong ties are believed to exist between organized crime and Albanian politics, while parliament has recently adopted a law specifically meant to address the issue of decriminalization. Under the law, all public service employees, including MPs will be subjected to criminal background checks, while convicted criminals will be permanently barred from holding public office.
