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Rama falls into the trap with the story of Alabbar in Zagreb

2022-11-18 00:22:04Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Rama falls into the trap with the story of Alabbar in Zagreb
Edi Rama and Mohamed Alabbar

Accused of forgiving the taxes and land for the huge, but illegal investment in Durrës, Edi Rama has tried to divert the debate, defending the Arab investor Mohamed Alabbar.

He published on social networks the title of a BIRN article reporting that Alabbar's "Eagle Hills and Real Estate Development" was the favorite in a competition in Croatia for a giant investment, otherwise known as the "Manhattan of Zagreb".

It seems funny how Rama himself, or the advisers who suggested the title, did not take the trouble to dig deeper and read something more inside the writing and the history of "Manhattan of Zagreb".

Because then they would understand that the parallelism does not hold, because what happened in Zagreb and what is happening in Durrës are two realities far apart from each other. Let's take them in turn.

Diversion of charges to Alabbar

First, it should be underlined that Rama has nothing to defend against Mohammed Alabbari. Because the finger is not pointed at the foreign investor, but at the prime minister of Albania.

If a private investor is offered a contract full of privileges and benefits with the Albanian state, the Albanian officials are responsible and not the private person who signs it.

If the Eagle Hills Real Estate Development company was chosen without competition, if it is not known who designed the Durrës project, if the land was forgiven without transparency, if the taxes were forgiven and if it will only invest 140 million euros out of the 2 billion promised, then here the responsibility lies with Prime Minister Edi Rama, who administers public assets.

Therefore, Google articles showing that Alabbar is an investor with a respected reputation are worthless when distributed by a prime minister who does not respect his citizens.

Alabbar entered the competition in Zagreb

Second, insider writing goes beyond the headline. Indeed, Alabbar is the favorite to build the "Manhattan of Zagreb", but the mayor there, Milan Bandiç, organized a competition for the tender of 500 million euros.

"When asked by BIRN which companies had applied, the municipality and the municipal office said that three offers were received, two of which meet the conditions. One was Bouygues Batiment International from France. The other was Eagle Hills, from the United Arab Emirates," the article says.

So, in Croatia there is competition for the investment of 500 million euros. In Albania, there was no competition for 2 billion euro investment.

Not only that. We do not know where, how and why the decision was made to move the port of Durrës, to forgive 1.3 million square meters of land and to forgive taxes.

The project in Zagreb was canceled after public protests

Third, the story continues after 2019, when the article was written. It turned out that the Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandiç, had not asked the citizens about Mohammed Alabbar's investment. Then the citizens took to the streets. They organized protests, demanded the cancellation of the Bandiç-Alabbar mega-project, and after a few months, the decision was canceled in October 2020.

The lack of public consultation in Zagreb was crucial in the withdrawal of the project. Did anyone ask the citizens of Durrës about the "Marina and Yachts" that displaces the thousand-year-old port? Does anyone intend to protest against such secret decisions?

Not so far. Even if, Rama's police have tear gas ready. /Lapsi.al


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