He asked to be released from prison, Ilir Beqaj's request is rejected

The Special Court rejected Ilir Beqaj's request to replace the security measure "arrest in prison", reports A2 CNN. In December, the Court accepted the request of the Special Prosecution to extend the detention of the former Minister of Health and Ermal Kurtulaj for another 3 months.

According to SPAK, they are suspected of having abused European Union funds with at least 8 tender procedures, agreeing on the winner and then fictitiously carrying out the procedure for documentation purposes, as well as making documentary maneuvers to hide Beqaj and Kurtulaj's connections with the restaurant in the Kala area of ​​the capital.

Due to these accusations, the Special Court has placed under seizure some assets of the former Minister of Health and 6 other persons suspected of abuse of European Union funds. The SPAK property investigation, conducted in parallel with the criminal investigation, which led to the former minister being held in pre-trial detention cells, for the time when he headed the SASPAC agency, has found assets that are suspected of having been obtained through violation of the law.

According to the decision of the GJKKO, the seizure measure has been imposed on approximately 14.3 million lek, 15.5 thousand euros and 42.3 thousand US dollars. These amounts of money have been seized in current accounts, time deposits, cash and belong to the persons under investigation Ilir Beqaj, Gazmend Haxhia, Ermal Kurtulaj, Bjona Ziaj and Bledar Leka.

At the request of SPAK, the court has frozen 19.4% of the shares of the commercial company "Albanian Food and Hospitality Services", which is the trading name of a restaurant near the center of Tirana, where, according to the Special Prosecution Office, former Minister Beqaj has property interests, as well as three vehicles registered as the property of Ermal Kurtulaj and Elton Marini.

SPAK has raised suspicions that one of these assets, registered in Kurtulaj's name, is Beqaj's hidden assets. The seized assets were obtained from criminal activity, or of equivalent value. (A2 Televizion)