In Albania, the General Director of the Road Authority, Evis Berberi, was arrested last night, by order of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime and Corruption. He is suspected of "Corruption" and "Money Laundering". On suspicion of the same criminal offences, two entrepreneurs related to him, Valter Begaj and Ervis Lamaj, have also ended up under arrest, while Brunilda Bulo, their co-worker, is also being pursued at large.
Everything revolved around the two companies "Net Group" owned by Begaj, where Mr. Berberi was employed, and the other company "Daam", which was then bought by the latter, from the entrepreneur Begaj. The "Daam" company was later sold by Mr. Berberi at the time of his engagement in state structures, near the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, when Mrs. Belinda Balluku took over its management. He will appear as a close collaborator of the minister, with whom he first worked as an adviser, to then take the direction, as commander, of the Agency for Energy Efficiency. While in 2021, he is appointed General Director of the Road Authority, one of the most important structures, in terms of the projects and the high value of the funds he administers.
The "Daam" company, bought by Berberi for a symbolic amount, is sold by him, at a multiplied price, while ownership and management change several times, between Bulo, Begaj and Lamaj. But according to the Special Prosecutor's Office, its indirect owner remains Mr. Barber.
The investigations have revealed that this company was used to transfer large amounts of money to it, from the other company, "Net Group", of the entrepreneur Begaj, through various transactions. The money transferred in favor of the company "Daam" was used to buy real estate in the name of this company. These actions have raised doubts for the Prosecutors, that they are facing a money laundering activity. Transactions from "net Group" to the company "Daam", indirectly owned by Mr. Berberi, coincide, according to the investigations, with the time when the company "Net Group" was the winner of several tenders announced by the Energy Efficiency Agency and the Road Authority. under the direction of Mr. Barber. It is about public procurement with a total value of over 2.7 million euros including VAT.
It is learned that from the control exercised in Mr. Berberi's apartment, expensive paintings and monetary values of 4 million lek were found.
From the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, there was no reaction on the arrest of its senior official./ VOA