Lefter Koka spoke for the first time after his arrest. In today’s hearing through his lawyer, he said that he respected the law, denying the accusations. “I have respected the law,” he is said to have said. Immediately, journalist Ermal Vija informs that the closed session is over and that the trial panel has withdrawn to make a decision.
Former Minister of Environment, Lefter Koka was arrested two days ago by order of the Special Prosecution. His arrest came after an SPAK investigation into the incinerators case. Koka is accused of “corruption” and “abuse of duty”.
The functioning of the scheme that SPAK
Former Minister of Environment Lefter Koka was arrested and businessmen Klodian Zoto and Stela Gugallja were declared wanted for the incinerator construction affair. The official notification of the special prosecutor’s office states that four charges have been filed against Koka, “Abuse of duty”, “Active corruption of senior state officials or local elected officials”, “Passive corruption of senior state officials or local elected officials ”and“ Laundering the proceeds of crime or criminal activity ”.
Businessman Klodian Zoto who is the owner of the company “Albtek Energy” which owns the incinerator in Elbasan and Stela Gugalla who owns the company “Integrated Technology Services” who built the incinerator, through a fictitious scheme have passed on behalf of the former minister two monetary amounts in exchange for a license.
According to the prosecution, Zoto and his company have transferred on behalf of some companies of the former minister and his family the amount of 2 million 950 thousand euros, claiming that works have been paid that were not actually performed by these companies.
In the same form, the company owned by Gugala has spent an amount of 735 thousand euros. In total, these businessmen have paid 3 million 685 thousand euros to companies suspected of being owned by former Minister Koka and his family. The Prosecution alleges that the tender for the construction of the Elbasan incinerator was obtained in violation of the law.
In the procedure followed for granting the concession and concluding the contract with the company “Albtek Energy” the procedure was followed “by negotiation, without prior announcement”, but the law provides that only one of the three procedures can be used for granting the concession: A ) open procedure; B) restricted procedure; or negotiated procedure, with prior announcement of the contract notice.
For this, the prosecution makes former Minister Koka responsible as the person who organized the tender and the winner is the company owned by Zoto.
Meanwhile, SPAK has seized the incinerator of Elbasan, the company that built it and 88 percent of the shares of the well-known canteen of alcoholic beverages Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu owned by Lefter Koka. The SPAK investigation started after the report of DP and SMI.
/abcnews.al
