Former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku is now at the center of SPAK's investigations into the "Bankers" case, as the new criminal complaint filed by lawyer Adriana Kalaja has been joined to the main file being investigated by the Special Prosecution Office. In her complaint, Kalaja has also included former Finance Minister Anila Denaj and current Finance Minister Petrit Malaj. She accuses them of abuse of office, exercising illegal influence, passive corruption and other criminal offenses, which, according to her, are related to the way the "Bankers" case was handled.

According to the lawyer, the actions and inactions of officials have caused damage of 123 million euros to the Albanian state, an amount that has not yet been collected.

Kalaja announced that the judicial police officer confirmed to her that her report has been merged with the existing SPAK file on the "Bankers" case, while requesting that the investigations be conducted based on evidence, the law and the Constitution, without political influences.

Adriana Kala's full statement before SPAK:

Former Finance Minister Anila Denaj and current Finance Minister Petrit Malaj are not only accused of abuse of office, but also of committing various criminal offenses, such as exercising illegal influence, passive corruption, arbitrary actions, laundering the proceeds of criminal offenses, obtaining illegal interests, and others. All of these, within the framework of a structured criminal group, actions related to the Bankers case.

An issue that has cost the Albanian state a loss of 123 million euros, an amount that has not only not yet been collected, but the delay in its collection has also caused considerable damage to the state budget.

Meanwhile, the judicial police officer confirmed to me that my criminal report regarding this matter has been merged with the Bankers basic file, for which, in fact, the relevant investigative actions are being carried out and about which we will be informed in the future.

But, on the other hand, I, as I reported to the BKH agent, emphasize that there are some very strong contradictions related to this issue. For example, we have a fact that they cannot avoid. At the time when the Ministry of Finance was headed by Minister Arben Ahmetaj, the letter was an order and within the competence of the Minister of Finance, where the responsible bodies were asked to collect or cash the amount of 123 million euros.

Unlike this letter from Mr. Ahmetaj, the letters of the criminally charged Belinda Balluku and Anila Denaj went beyond their competences, but, on the other hand, they also seriously violated the competences of Customs and the General Directorate of Taxes. Initially, they were told that this fine should be suspended and, subsequently, they began and continued with occasional interventions, as I said at the beginning, causing considerable damage to the Albanian state, damage which, in fact, has its main origin in the sale made to the Ballsh refinery.

A sale which, in fact, amounts to 21 million euros, is still missing from the state budget to this day. All these transactions, according to the information I have forwarded to SPAK, are related to the illegal activity of two former ministers, namely Belinda Balluku and Anila Denaj.

Meanwhile, for the current minister, the problem I raised in the criminal complaint is whether the minister's actions, given that they are correct in relation to the merits of the case, were carried out in a timely manner. So, are we facing the criminal offense of abuse of office and, if so, has Minister Malaj's delay caused the Albanian state further damage after the arbitration case, where the Arbitration Court itself, in the vast majority of the case, has upheld the actions taken by the General Directorate of Taxes and the AKBN.

I am confident that this case, like the first case, will be investigated professionally. I have only one call: for SPAK to investigate based on evidence, on the law, on the Constitution, and not on political orders.

Meanwhile, I also appeal to prosecutor Dritan Prençi, since he has the other case of Belinda Balluku in hand and about which, in fact, since March 12, we have had no information. From a simple legal logic, in reference to the Code of Criminal Procedure, I make a public appeal to him through your esteemed television. Here I say with regret that, apart from the two televisions, if you look, the rest, apparently, under the exercise of illegal influence and money illegally obtained by Belinda Balluku, causes these media, because the journalists are not at fault, to refuse to broadcast statements against the activity of Belinda Balluku.

So, for prosecutor Dritan Prençi, in the public interest, I have a call: the file should have been closed in April 2024 and, from the perspective of the law and the Code of Criminal Procedure, I think the deadline for closing the file against Belinda Balluku has passed. Therefore, I ask the question: is this the case when SPAK is amnestying, through the procedure, the defendant Belinda Balluku?

Time will tell. But I believe that I and many others, like my work, who have undertaken to do this, will go all the way and will refer any action in violation of the law and the Constitution, whether for actions taken by SPAK prosecutors or GJKKO judges.