TIRANA, Oct. 25 – A large group of former directors of the Durres Property Registration Office, former employees of the same office who have covered various functions or other persons, were involved in an illegal benefit scheme of at least 68 thousand square meters, in the area of Lalz Bay, on the Durres coast, which has received great tourist development in recent years. There are 18 people, including 3 former heads of the Durres Property Registration Office and the former mayor of the Ishem district, who ended up in handcuffs, while six others have been released and three others are wanted.
The group of former officials face various charges, ranging from “Passive Corruption of Public Officials”, “Abuse of Power”, “Falsification of Documents”, “Fraud”, and “Structured Criminal Group, Committed in Co-operation.”
Police reported that in cooperation with the prosecution “following a proactive investigation by applying special methods of investigation, such as telephone surveillance, filming and environmental surveillance, it resulted the above citizens who cooperated with each other within the structured criminal group have alienated 68,000 square meters of property from fruitless state-owned land and distributed it to various persons for profit. ”
According to the Police, “this activity – which extended from 2013 to 2018 – was carried out through falsification of documents, such as acts of taking possession of land, property cards in the Registries of the Durres Local Immovable Property Registration Office. This land was distributed to persons residing in Durres who did not have the right to acquire land under the law.”
Police further stated that “during the operation many material evidences that were used to carry out this criminal activity were found and seized”, specifying that “all the above citizens are undergoing a property investigation under the ‘Force of Law’ operation.”
