
The investigation carried out by the prosecutor of Tirana, Eloida Goxhi, into a case of computer forgery, is not one of those ordinary cases, when a young guy, with technological skills, tries to deceive public institutions. The case of 20-year-old Ermes Hoxhalli from Devolli and a first-year student at the University of Arts in Tirana is an incredible story, worthy of a comic book script.
With a phone in hand, he created a fake identity. Through the "WhatsApp" application, he was introduced to the Ministry of Education as "Klea Rama", the granddaughter of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Virtually delivered an exciting project " Let's Talk About US 2023-2024 ", a training cycle with competitions, through which Albanian high school graduates would have the opportunity to pursue higher studies in the United States.
No one met her, no one verified Clea's identity. The fact that she used the code "I am the granddaughter of Edi Rama" was enough, and all paths were opened to her as if by magic in the Albanian education system, starting from Kupola.
An e-mail and several telephone communications during the year 2023 between "Kleas" and Deputy Minister Nina Guga, were followed by orders and directives addressed to dozens of high schools throughout Albania, to become part of "Let's Talk About US".
Local educational directorates and high school directorates created boards and appointed coordinators for the project, organized local and national competitions among high school graduates, selected winners and...everyone was waiting for the last word from "Klea, the prime minister's granddaughter".
But Clea's word did not arrive. "Klea", whose real name is Ermes Hoxhalli, had already fallen into the net of a criminal investigation by the prosecutor's office in Tirana, after a fatal mistake. The boy, to make his project more convincing, had abusively used the credentials of an employee of the American embassy in Tirana, Amanda R., presenting her as the coordinator of the project.
The "Klea project" had come to the attention of the Embassy, ??who set the whole investigation in motion. The strings were pulled and at the end of them came the name of Ermes.
The prosecutor of Tirana, Goxhi, sent a few days ago the request for trial against Ermes Hoxhalli, accused of "computer forgery" and "forgery of documents", while he is under the security measure of "prison arrest" from July 2024.
The criminal investigation has not revealed the reason why Hoxhalli undertook this whole scenario. It is certain that he did not do it for financial gain. Perhaps the 20-year-old lived under a double identity, where the 20-year-old Hoxhalli also kept "Klean, the prime minister's granddaughter" in his mind.
Nina Guga: How I met "Klean"
"My contact with the person introduced as Klea Rama was set on September 15-16, 2023", says the Deputy Minister of Education, Nina Guga, at the Prosecutor's Office.
Guga was contacted via WhatsApp by a foreign number, who introduced herself as Klea, who introduced herself as an Albanian student in the USA and wanted to do a project with Albanian high schools. In those telephone communications, "Klea" tells the deputy minister that the project was supported by the State Department, through the American Embassy in Tirana.
In these communications, "Klea" also sent Guga a photo, a female figure, next to Prime Minister Edi Rama, making it more credible that she was the "granddaughter of the Prime Minister", as was presented to the Deputy Minister of Education.
Guga declares that he forwarded the request of "Klea" to the director of projects and the director of pre-university education in the Ministry of Education, Zamira Gjini and Shkëlqim Allkaj , in order for them to establish contacts with the educational directorates in different districts for the idea presented by "Klea Rama".
Director Allkaj: They did not verify "Klean"
One of the initial requests of "Kleas" addressed to Deputy Minister Nina Guga was the coordination with the Local Education Directorates for the distribution of some forms to high school students, within the "Let's Talk About US" project. The task of coordination was assigned to director Shkëlqim Allkaj.
At the Prosecutor's Office, Allkaj stated that he received an e-mail order from the General Secretary, Erzen Tola , where he was asked to "evaluate it with priority". After an exchange of communications via e-mail, Allkaj declares that he received an order from Deputy Minister Guga to " continue communication... ".
Allkaj says that he does not know and has never met 'Klea Rama'. According to him, "regarding the identification of Mrs. Klea Rama, I was informed by the Ministry, which had communications with her, as well as by the Secretary General, that she was a relative of the Prime Minister and I was not in a position to request verified her identity, as I was not required to do so ".
The scheme goes down to the Educational Directorates
After the approval of the "permit" by the officials of the Ministry of Education, a specialist of this institution is put in contact with the dependency structures.
Rezarta Alla , Director of the National Agency of Pre-University Education, stated in the Tirana prosecutor's office that she became aware of the "Klea Rama" project on September 18, 2023, from an e-mail received from the Ministry of Education.
That e-mail had the subject: " Request approved by MAS and by order of director Allkaj, the general directorate to coordinate with Mrs. Klea Rama ."
Në përmbajtje të e-mail-it ishte “kërkesa e znj. Rama për plotësim formularësh nga maturantët e të gjitha shkollave për shprejen e interesin për projketin Let’s Talk About US (LTTUAUSA). Projekti synon informimin e maturantëve për studime, por edhe zhvillimin e aktiviteteve me fokus informimin. Ky projekt mbështetet nga Departamenti i Shtetit dhe drejtohet nga zyra DYCD, NY…”.
Rreth 10 ditë më pas, “Klea Rama” u dërgon një tjetër e-mail drejtuesve të lartë të Arsimit, ku i falenderon për shpërndarjen e formularëve në gjimnazet e Shqipërisë. “Klea” e realizoi me sukses fazën e parë të misionit. Skema kaloi në fazën e dytë.
Lamaj: Projekti i mbesës së Edi Ramës
Valentina Lamaj është mësuese anglishteje në gjimnazin “Qemal Stafa” në Tiranë dhe rezulton “koordinatore” e projektit të “Klea Ramës”. Ajo deklaroi në prokurori se është caktuar në këtë pozicion nga drejtoresha e shkollës, Klotilda Jaupi.
Sipas drejtoreshës, “këtë projekt e inicionte mbesa e Kryeministrit dhe do të përzgjidheshin kordinatorët për çdo shkollë. Qëllimi i projektit ishte për të dërguar për udhëtim nxënës në SHBA. Nxënësit pjesëmarrës do të ishin maturantë dhe me mesatare mbi 8”.
Lamaj deklaron se u ngrit rrjeti i mësuesve koordinatorë në të gjithë gjimnazet e Tiranës. Para festës së Vitit të Ri 2023 u është kërkuar nxënësve pjesëmarrës në projekt që të krijonin tre tema të ndryshme. Ata do të konkuronin fillimisht brenda shkollës dhe më tej mes shkollave të tjera.
Vlerësimi i projekteve të përgatitur nga nxënësit u krye nga një komision prej 7 anëtarësh, si edhe të pranishëm kanë qenë përfaqësues të Ministrisë së Arsimit, zyrave vendore, drejtorë shkollash, e të tjerë.
Mësuese Lamaj vijon më tej, duke deklaruar se: “Janë përzgjedhur projektet fituese rreth muajit Shkurt 2024, ku shkolla e saj doli e para dhe në vendin e dytë dhe të tretë doli shkolla “16 shtatori“ në Shijak. Të gjitha këto aktivitetet janë shpërndarë edhe nga shkollat në faqet e tyre”.
Pas mbarimit të vlerësimit të projektit, “Klea” u ka dërguar çertifikata mësuseve që ishin pjesë e komisionit të vlerësimit dhe rivlerësimit. Këto çertifikata gjithesecili i ka marre çdo mësues. “Nuk kujtoj nëse nxënësve fitues i janë dhënë çertifikata, por di vetëm se është bërë një festë nga Drejtoresha e shkollës dhe ky event është publikuar në faqen e internetit”, thotë më tej Valentina Lamaj.
Gjurmë kudo, zero fytyrë
For more than a year, "Klea Rama", whose real name was revealed to be Ermes Hoxhalli, was ridiculed and ridiculed by the entire educational system. Certificates with the name of "Klea", accompanied by the signature of the official of the American embassy, ??Amanda R., were already found in almost all high schools in Albania.
Somewhere towards the end of February 2024, during a routine meeting with the Education Office of Vlora, the embassy services are informed about this project and about the use of the American official's credentials. This is where the "storm" starts. Amanda reports to the Prosecutor's Office of Tirana the forgery of her signature.
The prosecution starts the investigation, but initially the situation was somewhat "up in the air". None of the actors involved in the "Let's Talk About US 2023-2024" project, from the officials of the Ministry of Education to subordinate structures in the districts, knew "Klea Rama".
No one had met him in person. Everything was developed through communications with the "whatsapp" application and with social networks, in which "Klea" used in "her" profile the photo of the internationally known singer, Gracie Abrams.
Clea's mistake
While the prosecutor Eloida Goxhi had started the series of questions of educational officials to identify the person who had set up the forgery scheme, at the address of the director of the Education Office of Lezha, Antoneta Suta , a person, identified as Ermes Hoxhalli, submits the request for a artistic project.
He introduces himself as a first-year student at the University of Arts in Tirana and that a friend of his, "Klea Rama", had given him the contact of the director.
The probe signals went off. Ermes Hoxhalli was the first person who could identify "Klea Rama".
Hoxhalli was interrogated at the Prosecutor's Office of Tirana and stated that he did not know "Klean", but had had contact with him by phone and on social networks. 21-year-old Ermesi stated that, having some good technological skills, he had performed some services for "Klean", mainly in photo processing, drafting certificates, and others.
The prosecution was not convinced by these statements and ordered the examination of Hoxhalli's electronic devices, two phones and a laptop.
The expertise revealed a "treasure" for the investigation. On the boy's phones, very large photos and materials were found, which, according to the prosecution, proved conclusively that Ermes Hoxhalli was "Klea Rama".
Hoxhalli has denied the accusations of the prosecution, stating that he was simply in the service of "Klea Rama". However, many data seem to link her completely with the false identity "Klea Rama, granddaughter of Prime Minister Edi Rama". / Boldnews.al