Belind Këlliçi

I am writing this letter, in response to an article published by you, titled: "Under Rama, Albania is Failing in Almost Every Score".

This letter is both a reaction as a former Member of Parliament of Albania until last year, a former Member of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee for the Affair of Incinerators in Albania, and as one of the persistent denouncers of this ongoing mega corruption affair for the past four years.

In your article surprisingly is written: "Edi Rama, as the head of the Agency for the Development of Territories, signed off on the incinerator project, but has distanced himself from the scandal, saying that it concerns the actions of individuals, not his government".

Your article further states: "No evidence has emerged that might incriminate him (Rama) in kickbacks or link him to the offshore accounts so often involved in concessions and construction projects".

This is not accurate Mr. Nahzi, and I would like to clarify the truth with concrete facts and evidence:

1. Edi Rama's Role in the Tirana Incinerator Project: As Chairman of the National Council of the Territory, Edi Rama not only signed off on the Tirana Incinerator project, for which approximately 132 million euros have been paid so far despite the incinerator not existing, but he also, as Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, declared a state of environmental emergency in 2014. This declaration was contrary to the law and replaced the waste treatment strategy based on depositing in the landfill, selection, and recycling, which had been developed with several million euros in EU funding, with a new strategy focused on burning (incineration) of waste.

2. The Tirana Incinerator Bonus Scandal: In the case of the Tirana Incinerator, Prime Minister Rama, in violation of all laws in force, signed the granting of an 8% bonus in points to the company named Integrated Energy BV sh.p.k. on 7.12.2016, for the construction of the incinerator. However, as has been publicly revealed by the Parliamentary Investigative Committee and widely covered in Albanian media, this company did NOT EXIST. Despite this fact, Prime Minister Rama proceeded with signing the bonus that favoured this specific company in the competitive process.

Edi Rama signed this unprecedented decision even after the State Minister for Relations with the Parliament, Ms. Ermonela Felaj, officially opposed the procedure in Letter no. 6490/1, dated 15.11.2016, stating that the company was not registered in the Republic of Albania according to the legislation in force. I quote: "Unfortunately, despite several searches by company name or shareholders name, we have not been able to find the company registered in the QKB. We recommend that the company's NIPT be provided in the report along with other financial data, such as capital, partner division, administrator, etc., to ensure the company has the necessary financial capital for such an investment."

In addition to this flagrant document, Prime Minister Rama granted the 8% bonus to this non-existent company even after the Minister of Justice, Mr. Ylli Manjani, objected to the draft decision in Letter no. 7358/1 Prot., dated 15.11.2016, clarifying that the granting of the bonus was not within the government's competence. I quote: "Finally: Considering the above findings, we propose re-evaluating the initiative in accordance with the provisions of the legislation in force for concessions/public-private partnerships, and respecting the procedure defined by this legislation."

3. Expropriation of Land for the Tirana Incinerator: Prime Minister Edi Rama approved the granting of funds to the Municipality of Tirana for the expropriation of the land on which the Tirana Incinerator would be built. This decision by the Council of Ministers contradicted the proposal of the concessionary company and the official report written by the former Minister of Environment, Mr. Lefter Koka, which stipulated that this cost would be covered by the concessionaire company itself.

Despite the above legal violations and objections from key Ministers in Rama’s Cabinet, including the Ministers of Justice Mr. Manjani, Finance Ministers Mr. Cani and Mr. Ahmetaj, and State Minister for Relations with the Parliament Ms. Felaj, the concession contract No. 6021 Rep/No. 2894 Kol. was officially signed on 31.08.2017, with the predetermined winner Integrated Energy BV SPV, a company with two fictitious owners. This fact has now also been proven by the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Fight Against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK).

Dear Mr. Nahzi,

These blatant facts, now public and based on documents administered partially by the Parliamentary Investigative Committee for Incinerators, as well as those submitted to SPAK, show that the primary responsibility for the corrupt affair of the Tirana Incinerator lies with Prime Minister Edi Rama himself.

In addition to Prime Minister Rama, the other main and direct responsible party for the Tirana Incinerator, is the Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj. For this reason, former Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj stated in his last TV interview, that the main and direct responsible for the Tirana Incinerator are Edi Rama and Erion Veliaj. He further asserted that Veliaj is the FACTUAL OWNER of the Tirana Incinerator, as evidenced in the investigation file against him, where the Head of SPAK, Mr. Altin Dumani, noted: “The former Minister of Finance, Arben Ahmetaj, has twice rejected the request of the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, for granting this concession", specifying that the financing of this project could have been done by direct procurement from the Albanian government, without the need for a 30-year concession to a private company.

All these facts, accompanied by relevant official documentation and thousands of other pages of material, including official and private communications via email or WhatsApp, bank data and statements, and other concrete evidence of the involvement of the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Tirana, have been officially submitted to SPAK for almost a year. However, SPAK refuses to consider these flagrant documents, as an amnesty for both Rama and Veliaj.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has also signed, in violation of the Law "On Concessions and Public/Private Partnerships," for the negotiation without announcement of the concession contract for the construction of the Elbasan Incinerator. Rama and the Council of Ministers approved this procedure, even after the General Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Mr. Engjell Agaci, was officially notified by the Director of the Public Procurement Agency (APP), Mr. Eduard Ahmeti, in Letter no. 12303/1, Prot., dated 18.11.2014, that the selected procedure for granting this concession was illegal. I quote: "As above, the APP assesses that the determination of the Contracting Authority and the selection procedure for the specific object must be done in accordance with the legal provisions".

Additionally, Prime Minister Rama, once again in violation of the law, signed the transfer of the Emergency Fund of the Council of Ministers to the budget of the Ministry of

Environment for the non-competitive contract of the Elbasan Incinerator.

This fund is used only for natural emergencies and only with the Prime Minister's signature.

Dear Mr. Nahzi,

I take this opportunity to remind you and the readers of this open letter, that in addition to the above facts, Prime Minister Edi Rama, as proven by the Washington DC Court, bribed and paid at least $225,000 to the former FBI counterintelligence Chief Officer for New York, Mr. Charles McGonigal, while he was in office. For this reason, Mr.

McGonigal was sentenced to 2.4 years and is serving his sentence in a U.S. prison.
Moreover, Prime Minister Edi Rama has, without competition, granted 1.4 million square meters of public land in the Port of Durres area and the port itself to the Arab billionaire

Mr. Mohamed Alabbar for the construction of Dubai City in Durres, which includes 12,500 apartments and several 5-star hotels.
In a corrupt act, Prime Minister Rama, through Decision No. 183, dated 9.3.2016, awarded 37,000 square meters of land and 5,160 square meters of buildings for just 1 euro to a private enterprise run by his brother Olsi Rama, without a tender. According to national laws, this land should have been returned to the former legitimate owners, the Deliu and Liçi families.

Another major corrupt act involves the cost of building the Llogara Tunnel. In 2021, after cancelling the first tender, which was won by an Albanian company with a 140 million euro offer, the tender was reopened, and a union of Turkish operators was declared the winner with a 190 million euro offer. The tunnel was entirely built by the Albanian company as a subcontractor for the original 140 million euro bid.

Recently, Edi Rama and his family have acquired approximately 224,000 square meters of land in Himara Municipality through a court decision, without possessing any cadastral document for its ownership or expropriation. The Property Handling Agency and cadastre offices had refused to recognize the Rama clan's ownership of this land, located in one of the most spectacular touristic areas on the Albanian coast.

However, SPAK, which in my opinion, and according to numerous media opinions, is under the influence of Mr. Rama, does not investigate any corrupt acts or procedures signed off by Prime Minister Edi Rama and Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, or for which the Prime Minister has issued orders or conducted public campaigns.
*Attached, you will find the following documents:

1. The Decision of the Council of Ministers signed by Mr. Edi Rama, for the 8% bonus for the Tirana Incinerator

2. The Letter from Mr. Erion Veliaj approving the 30-year concession of the Tirana Incinerator

3. The Letter from Mrs. Ermonela Felaj regarding the 8% bonus for the Tirana Incinerator

4. The Letter from Mr. Ylli Manjani regarding the 8% bonus for the Tirana Incinerator

5. The Letter from Mr. Eduard Ahmeti regarding the Elbasan Incinerator procedure

Respectfully,

Belind Kellici,

Presidency Member, Democratic Party of Albania

Former Member of Parliament

Former Member of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee on the Incinerators Case