TIRANA, May 24/ATA/ Minister of Justice Ulsi Manja announced today that the government has approved two important decisions that consolidate the property compensation scheme in Albania.
During a briefing after the government meeting, Manja emphasized that one of the priorities of this government has been to give a fair reward to the former owners.
“We have passed two important decisions in the government that ultimately pave the way for the final solution of the property compensation process. Some time ago, in the Assembly we approved some changes related to the law on the treatment of property and which were a reflection of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights and the decision of the Constitutional Court, and with these two decisions today we complete the entire package of by-laws in implementation of this law”, said Manja.
Now, according to him, the process of recognizing property rights and financial compensation for those who will be compensated has no legal obstacles.
“With these two decisions, every former owner who has a claim to the Property Handling Agency or will make a request for the recognition of the right to property and that the property is free, then it is physically returned to him as he had it at the time he was confiscated by the state. So, the vacant property of the former owners is returned without any restrictions,” said Manja.
Whereas, for those former owners whose property has been occupied by informal constructions or that will be used for public interest, according to him, “There will be a measure of financial compensation according to the methodology and guidance that has also been certified in the Strasbourg Court, but even from our Constitutional Court.”
“In 2013, when we came in office, we found about 26,900 decisions that were issued by previous property restitution commissions, and today we are talking about 20,000 decisions; we have also made a financial assessment of these decisions with a value of about 101 billion Lekë. 974 of these decisions that were for the effect of financial compensation have been liquidated. For the rest of these decisions, for which there is a financial bill already with the creation of the appropriate legal base, we will start with the compensation process”, said Manja./gj.m/p.s./
