The former deputy mayor of Tirana, currently Minister of State for Local Government, Arbjan Mazniku , is the senior official who has been placed under investigation by the SPAK special prosecution office.
Initially, the investigations against Maznik focused only on municipal tenders and, based on suspicions of abuse of office, SPAK and BKH conducted a search of the senior official's apartment 3 months before the parliamentary elections.
It is not known exactly what SPAK found in the apartment, as it is currently awaiting another file against Arbjan Maznik, which will be transferred from the Tirana prosecutor's office to SPAK for incompetence.
Even on account of this file, Mazniku, in his capacity as former deputy mayor of Tirana, was questioned regarding the opening of suspected fictitious procedures for a tender for the reconstruction of "Xhon Belushi" street, located in the "Fresku" area.
But now it's not just this, as SPAK has focused its investigations against Maznik and on several tender practices between the Tirana municipality and the restaurant "The Home", which is co-owned by Maznik's wife, citizen Marinela Lika.
Meanwhile, several other practices that are currently being verified by SPAK are related to the tenders that "The Home" has won.
These are tenders worth around 800 thousand euros with the public company "Tirana DC" and the Municipality of Tirana during the years 2021-2022.
SPAK has raised strong suspicions of a clear conflict of interest and corruption, because at the time they took place, Mazniku held the position of deputy mayor of Tirana.
Among other things, during this time, Mazniku held the important position of Chairman of the Administrative Council in the company "Tirana DD", a position from which he left in August 2024.
According to SPAK's suspicions, Arbjan Mazniku, as Chairman of the Administrative Council of the company "Tirana DC", distributed funds whose beneficiary was the Bar-Restaurant "The Home", located in the center of Tirana, and which is co-managed by his wife, Marinela Lika.
An almost clear scheme like the one set up by former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj, with the well-known restaurant "Gzona".
Currently, the business "The Home", which is 50 percent owned by Marinela Lika, has been placed under precautionary measures by the General Directorate of Taxes, Central Region, after it turns out that it has not paid tax obligations in the amount of 27 million old lek.
The request for the imposition of the tax liability measure was made on September 9, 2024, notifying the administrator of this commercial entity, Ledion Çollaku./OraNews