The Rector of the Agricultural University of Tirana, Fatbardh Sallaku, declared before the Socialist Party parliamentary group that his phone was also taken away, as part of the investigations conducted by the Special Prosecution Office and which ended with the arrest of 5 people, and the granting of lighter security measures to 19 other people, among them vice-rectors, lecturers, procurement directors and IT specialists.
"I do not know any information about what was discussed. Fortunately, the law on higher education separates the administrative side very well from the academic side. Which means that the rector with all the academic staff completes his work until the budget is sent to the senate. I was the subject of the phone call, I have shown myself to be totally willing, I have nothing to hide. We have been cooperative, we have provided all the requested information," said Sallaku, reports A2 CNN.
Sallaku said that he chose to be present at the meeting of the Socialist Party parliamentary group, so as not to take anything out of context, due to obligations towards academic staff, students, parents and partners. "I want to let you know that yesterday I also found out about it from the media... I convened the UBT academic assembly, where we clarified the situation and that at the top of the line I want to confirm the fact that we do not comment on any judicial decision, absolutely. We believe that there will be an absolutely fair process, but what I believe is that most of my lecturers belong to honest people and no process undoes the reality that I and the students at UBT believe. Every colleague has started the battle to clear himself and I hope that everyone will prove with facts that they have acted honestly. "What I want to emphasize is the fact that, this exit, I am also obliged to do because I am the rector of a university that does not operate in isolation, but is in a process that has been underway for 3 years thanks to the personal investment of the country's prime minister," Sallaku added.
He confirmed that he does not come out in defense of the people who have abused and that he will let justice act. "I really hope that it will be a fair process. But on the other hand, I want to highlight that I have a lot of confidence that UBT will not only be resurrected. Albania is lucky to have an agricultural university. I invite you with hand on heart to focus here, because UBT is not only mine, this majority's and all of Albania's. Albania will never go into heavy industry, despite the wishes. Those people need support, for encouragement. I am not here for politics. We have spoken with the country's prime minister for years, we have exchanged concepts and we have come here, that UBT is sitting at the table with the Bochs University of Vienna, which is hundreds of years old. Albania needs this university and the Albanian economy. This staff, especially the students, the parents, should calm down because in September we will go with a new academic offer. "I really hope that the people under investigation will find all their energy, I understand, but I hope that everything will fall into place, that each person will clear their image. Justice will do its job."
What happened on Tuesday?
An investigation launched three years ago into the staff of the Agricultural University in Kamza has led to the arrest of 5 people by order of SPAK, 10 under house arrest and 9 others under mandatory reporting, among them vice rectors, lecturers, procurement directors and an IT specialist.
The security measure "prison arrest" has been imposed on Edmond Tërthorjan, University administrator, Altin Murto, director of public funds, Amarildo Lleshi, director of public procurement, and Mehmet Qoshja, specialist for funds, who are suspected of having committed the criminal offense of "Violation of equality of participants in public tenders or auctions" in collaboration with each other.
The same measure has been imposed on Pirro Zogu, the head of a private entity suspected of the crime of "Forgery of documents".
For 10 other people suspected of having committed the criminal offense of "Violation of equality of participants in tenders or public auctions", the security measure "house arrest" has been imposed, while for 9 others, including the two vice rectors, Ilir Kapajn and Romina Koton, a milder measure has been imposed, that of being required to appear.
Through investigations using special methods such as; wiretapping of telephone conversations of officials of the Agricultural University of Tirana, observations conducted by the State Police and documentation management, nine procurement procedures conducted in 2022, with a procurement value of 90,000,000 lek, have been investigated.
During the investigation, legal violations were identified by responsible academic personnel at UBT, citizens; Ilir Kapaj and Romina Koto, vice-rectors at the Agricultural University of Tirana and head of the Department of Preclinical Modules at UBT, who, at the time of designing projects and securing funds from the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation, carried out actions in collaboration with the head of the contracting authority, Edmond Tërthorja, Administrator of UBT.
Their illegal actions consisted of preparing fictitious project data, with specifications prepared by the competing and winning economic operators themselves in these procurement procedures.
The investigations also show that violations occurred even after the funds were secured by AKKSHI. Cases of the development of a procurement procedure with a predetermined economic operator for equipment and other goods, which were made available to the contracting authority, were also identified, several months before the announcement of the procurement procedures. (A2 Televizion)
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