In Albania, the Special Court of Appeal upheld the prison sentence for the former Minister of Health, Iir Beqaj, rejecting the latter's request for a milder security measure, against financial guarantees. Mr. Beqaj was arrested at the beginning of July under suspicion of involvement in a corruption scheme for benefits from the funds of the Foreign Aid Coordination Agency (SASPAC), which he has been leading since 2021, as well as for concealing assets.
Together with him, Ermal Kurtulla, a close associate of Mr. Beqaj, was arrested, as well as Alfred Nikolla, head of a private company that dealt with the organization of events. “House arrest” or “compulsion to appear” were also given to four other people, all with private activities. Even for them, the Special Court of Appeal confirmed the same security measures.
For all the names involved in this case, a series of accusations have been raised, from corruption, to hiding wealth, fraud or violation of equality in tenders. According to the Special Prosecutor's Office, Mr. Beqaj, as the head of SASPAC, in collaboration with Kurtullajn “during the years 2022-2023, allegedly carried out fictitious procurement procedures in violation of the regulations”, mentioning at least eight services procured “with procedures not regular and with predetermined winners”.
Yes, according to the Prosecutor's Office, Mr. Beqaj hid his interests in the “Gzona” restaurant, in one of the central areas of the capital, which appears according to investigations, as a point where the money illegally obtained from the organization was transferred in the form of payments for services of events, or as a place where events were held, which were not declared, then using names of physical persons or companies, which issued fictitious invoices on the expenses incurred in this restaurant.
Mr. Beqaj had resigned from the leadership of SASPAC, last November, after the security measure “compulsory appearance” and “ban on traveling abroad” was imposed on him, as part of the investigations into the case of sterilization of surgical equipment. For this matter, the former Deputy Minister of Health Klodian Rrjepaj and entrepreneur Ilir Rrapaj, who was a partner with 40 percent of the shares of the company that had won the concession, were arrested earlier. In March of this year, Mr. Beqaj was charged with “abuse of duty”.
