TIRANA, Jan. 15 – The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has fined the Albanian government more than €13 million to compensate the former owners of the Jon Apartments Block in Vlora, which the newly-appointed Socialist government ceremoniously demolished in October 2013 as part of Vlora’s Lungomare project.
The brand new apartments were built by Xhafer Isufi, father-in-law of head of Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha. Several other public figures, including Ombudswoman Erinda Ballanca, owned apartments in the bloc.
Prime Minister Edi Rama made it clear at the time that he saw the bloc’s building next to the sea as an affront to the rule of law and the issuing of the permits to construct it as a corrupt affair.
However, because those permits were legal, at the time, the government issued a decision to compensate the building’s owners with €3.4 million.
A month later, residents and owners alike appealed the decision in Vlora’s court, asking for a higher compensation. In May 2014, Vlora’s court declared the government’s decision illegal and raised the compensation to €11.6 million.
After an appeal made by the government however, Vlora’s court decision was overthrown by the High Court.
This led residents to head to Strasbourg’s court, in 2016. Last Thursday, the court also decided the government acted illegally and that it should compensate residents and owners more than €13 million within the next three months.
Former Prime Minister Sali Berisha said in a Facebook post that Rama’s decision to illegally demolish the apartment block during his first weeks in power back in 2013 was tied to his rivalry with the opposition and the fact Isufi was a stake-holder of the construction firm.
“The building was constructed on private property in full accordance with the city’s plan and with the permission of Vlora’s socialist mayor and had no relation with the Lungomare project,” Berisha said in his statement.
Vlora’s socialist mayor at the time was Shpà«tim Gjika, who was even taken to court and sentenced with two years of trial service for “illegal construction” and “falsification of official documents.”
Berisha added that Albania’s upcoming fines from international courts will allegedly mount to over €2 billion, according to what he said were trustworthy sources, and that this will weight on citizens’ shoulders.
Even though upcoming fines are yet to be made public, Strasbourg’s decision for the illegal demolition of the Jon Apartments Block will cost every Albanian resident through taxes.
