TIRANA, May 25 – Hasan Halili, former mayor of Kukà«s in northeastern Albania, is a wanted man for unlawfully sponsoring local football side FK Kukà«si with money meant for social and health insurance of municipal employees.
Authorities also arrested three former officials as part of the scheme and all four are facing abuse of office charges.
Police handcuffed Lekà« Deda, former finance director at the Kukà«s municipality together with two former regional tax directors Mirdash Hoxha and Gà«zim Ukperaj, while the mayor himself is still on the run.
According to prosecutors, the officials in cooperation with each other have falsely registered the municipality as a shareholder of football club FK Kukà«si and contributing as a sponsor a total of €322,000 over a four-year span.
FK Kukà«si was established in 2011 as an entirely private company. whereas in 2012 the municipality through a legally unfounded decision by the former mayor was made a stakeholder of the team.
Since the municipality lacked the funds to sponsor a football team, it secured the money by not paying obligatory social and health contributions for the majority of the municipality employees.
Investigations were launched last November after current officials denounced the abuse of funds with the authorities.
Hasan Halili was elected Mayor of Kukà«s as a representative of the right-wing Democratic Party and served two consecutive terms. He switched sides running for a third term as a candidate of the left-wing coalition in the local elections of 2015, but lost to Democratic Party candidate Bashkim Shehu.
FK Kukà«si is currently one of the most successful clubs in Albania. In the 2013-2014 season, it made history by winning three ties in Europa League qualifiers, the first Albanian team to do so.
