During a press conference, Manja rolled out the results of a proactive several-month investigation into Property Treatment Agency conducted by the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption at the Ministry of Justice.

“After conducting proactive investigations and administering the relevant documentation and evidence, the Anti-Corruption Unit has reasonable suspicion about abusive corruption schemes involving senior officials of the Property Treatment Agency in Albania. I emphasize that this is the most severe blow and the most serious investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Unit. A long investigation into this agency found that the top official of the Property Treatment Agency and some directors of this agency are implicated in abusive activities through the scam that is strongly suspected of having produced substantial corruption,” said Manja.

Manja added that as National Anti-Corruption Coordinator, he has signed the charges that he will file with SPAK and it is SPAK’s turn to follow through the investigation conducted by Anti-Corruption Directorate.

“It is about two schemes documented by us through which senior officials of the Property Agency are involved in property alienation schemes and financial embezzlement. Specifically, the former landowners who have obtained the decision for financial and in-kind compensation of properties have not been able to have them executed. Under these conditions, they managed to sell their decisions to the real estate agents, who, upon acquiring these rights, surprisingly applied to the Property Agency and were compensated financially, but also in kind benefiting entire surface areas of immovable properties in tourist attractions of Albania. Then, after receiving these properties, they carried out transactions, transferring their ownership to the family members and relatives of the officials of the Property Agency. I am convinced that such a scam will be uncovered by the prosecution,” he said.

“The other scheme,” said Manja, is about abusing with the financial compensation of former landowners, whose properties are occupied by informal buildings legalized by the Cadastre Agency.

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