
Eight former officials of the First Development Financial Company, FAF, have been sent to trial for abuse of office, among them former administrator Dashamir Qeli and former chairwoman of the Supervisory Council, Ilda Malile.
They are accused of violations in the procedure for purchasing a vehicle for 1.6 million lek and hiring a new driver.
The car purchased in 2016, according to the Prosecution, was intended to replace the work of 6 vehicles.
But investigators concluded that a single vehicle could not meet the needs of FAF, which had 30 branches in 30 districts of the country.
Despite the fact that there were already 6 drivers without tools on the staff, a new job was opened for the newly purchased vehicle and a seventh driver was hired.
Investigations have also revealed that the vehicle had previously been owned by Ilda Malile, at the time chairwoman of the FAF Supervisory Council and former Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, rumored in the media as one of the confidants of the fugitive former Deputy Prime Minister, Arben Ahmetaj.
According to the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, the procedure for purchasing the vehicle was carried out without the approval of the Minister of Finance at the time, while the tender dossier lacked the justification for the specific qualification criteria.
The investigation into this matter began in 2020 and the proceedings were forwarded to the Tirana Prosecution Office by SPAK.
Full announcement
The Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction, Tirana, completed the investigations and sent to trial the administrator, the chairwoman and the members of the Supervisory Council of the First Development Financial Company (FAF sh.a.), citizens IM, AK, Ll.P., DQ, AC, M..L., OD and E.Xh, accused of the criminal offense of 'Abuse of office' provided for by article 248 of the Criminal Code.
The investigations into criminal proceedings no. 248 of 2020, brought by the Special Prosecution Office, found a series of violations, also identified by the Supreme State Audit Office, with the procurement procedures carried out by these persons.
The investigations showed that the procedures followed, specifically for the purchase of the vehicle, were carried out without the approval of the Minister of Finance at that time and the tender dossier does not contain the argumentation of the specific criteria for qualification, in violation of the laws in force. For the above, the administrator DQ was charged with responsibility, as well as the Supervisory Council composed of the chairwoman, citizen IM, and members AC, AK, ML, Ll.P., OD, and A.Gj. This vehicle also resulted to be previously owned by the chairwoman of the Supervisory Council, citizen IM, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Health.
The investigations concluded that the vehicle purchased by FAF sh.a., by the decision of the assembly in the amount of 1,600,000 lek including VAT, which would replace the work of 6 vehicles, could not meet the needs of the company's 30 branches in 30 districts of Albania. Likewise, the assignment of an additional job position for a driver for this newly purchased vehicle, when there were already 6 such drivers without vehicles and who were receiving salaries, was excessive and in clear violation of the law.
At the conclusion of the investigations, with the evidence and acts administered, the Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction assessed that it is proven that the defendants IM, AK, Ll.P., DQ, AC, ML, OD, and E.Xh., through active actions or inactions, have consumed elements of the criminal offense provided for by Article 248 of the Criminal Code.