While facing justice for the criminal offense of "theft by abuse of office" and "structured criminal group" for "Sterilization", former minister Ilir Beqaj was indicted by SPAK on 5 other charges.
The Special Prosecution Office concluded the investigation launched into the "SASPAC" file, the agency he headed after leaving the Ministry of Health. According to SPAK, while heading the agency that coordinated European Union funds in Albania, Beqaj committed corruption, violated equality in tenders, cheated, forged documents and hid assets.
On Monday, the former minister was escorted from Durres detention center to SPAK, where he was briefed on the charges in the presence of his defense lawyer. SPAK also indicted Ermal Kurtulaj, Mira Topçiu, Bledar Leka, Gazment Haxhina, and Elton Marini for the same matter.
According to SPAK, during the years 2022-2023, when Beqaj was under investigation for "Sterilization", as head of the SASPAC Agency, in collaboration with Kurtulaj, he is suspected of abusing at least 8 tender procedures.
The investigation revealed that the winner was agreed upon and determined before the tender procedure and then fictitious actions were carried out for documentation and payment purposes. The investigation also raised suspicions about Beqaj's undeclared assets, property interests in a restaurant near the center of Tirana where he is suspected of having invested almost 100 thousand euros, as well as a vehicle registered in the name of Ermal Kurtulaj.
From the searches carried out for investigation in apartments and offices of commercial companies, 47 thousand euros and 700 thousand lek were seized. After the communication of the charges, the defendants have 10 days to file objections and then the file is filed in Court to undergo preliminary examination. (A2 Televizion)
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