INVESTIGATION: SOCIALIST MP becomes a resort in the South!

Two clues make a proof - say the Italians.

And there are numerous indications of senior socialist officials making deals with hotels and resorts on the South Coast. The latest in line is Arben Pëllumbi.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Productive Activities will build a tourist complex with apartments and a hotel in Radhima, Vlora.

A month ago, Mr. Pëllumbi's company applied to the National Environment Agency to obtain the necessary environmental permits.

The application was made by the company ABA, whose shares are 100 percent owned by the socialist MP and which is administered by his brother, Erlind Pëllumbi.

ABA company owned by MP Arben Pëllumbi and run by his brother, Erlind Pëllumbi

The Pigeon Clan

This is not the first time that a senior majority official has been involved in construction on the coast.

Artan Gaçi, former socialist MP and husband of former foreign minister Olta Xhaçka, attempted to build a 5-star hotel in Himara.

The family of the former Foreign Minister also received the status of Strategic Investor for this investment and was granted the right to use the beach for 30 years by decision of the government of which Ms. Xhaçka was a member.

But after the matter became public, the investment was reported to SPAK by Fredi Beleri, the mayor who never became the mayor of Himara.

Elected as the opposition candidate for mayor of Himara, Beleri did not enjoy his mandate for a single day after he was arrested by the prosecution for vote buying.

But from his cell he compiled a report, which caused quite a bit of trouble for the former Foreign Minister. After investigating the case, SPAK arrested the former mayor of Himara, Jorgo Goro, for falsifying property documents.

Investigations found that the property had been stolen and initially given to two local residents using false documents. The latter sold it to the former foreign minister's family for a price significantly below market value, around 20 euros per square meter.

By decision of the Special Court, the land was definitively confiscated by the state, while Mr. Goro was sentenced to 2 years in prison.

But the seaside resort business is not the only connection between the former Foreign Minister and Mr. Pëllumbi. They are also part of a family. Ms. Xhacka is Mr. Pëllumbi's granddaughter. In short, the Pëllumbi Clan.

Clues, clues make a philosophy

A few years ago, almost all of the AZHBR grants in Shkodra ended up in the close circle of a socialist MP.

When word reached Rama, the latter asked the MP for clarification.

And the deputy's response was epic.

-Oh boss, instead of letting the villagers take the money and waste it buying oil for their cars, it's better that we have it under control and don't allow abuses- he said. And the prime minister laughed.

Tourism has now become the main engine of the Albanian economy. A large part of the state's development policies have focused precisely on tourism, from granting strategic status, to the donation of state land to fiscal privileges, the government has invested great public favors in tourism.

But there is always a risk that these favors and privileges will be abused. So it seems the government has applied the Shkodra strategy.

Keeping it within the circle is the mechanism for keeping tourism development under control because the future of the economy cannot be left to chance or the irresponsibility of private investors outside the Party's circle./ Kapital