New details have emerged from the testimony of former Minister of Economy and Finance, Genc Ruli, before the GJKKO regarding the privatization file of the former sports club "Partizani".

Ruli has listed the historical problems with public property in Albania, while also issuing strong statements about state management. According to Ruli, the Albanian state does not have its own properties registered even today, while at that time only a small number of them enjoyed a certificate of ownership.

Asked about the accuracy of the verifications at the ministry, he said he could not answer with certainty since as a minister he did not conduct those verifications himself on the ground, but added that he believed he had good employees. He also explained that the accounting experts were selected by their own association.

The former minister stated that the Ministry of Economy was giving more of a political signal stemming from the government program, adding that after this moment it no longer had the right to initiate procedures on its own, since in any case the proposal came from the ministry that had the property under its control. Regarding the procedures of the former Partizani club, Ruli argued that they were accelerated in order to save the facility as much as possible, since over the years it had been destroyed and degraded.

Ruli recalled that he had been a minister since 1991, a time when the state had inherited all public property and it took years for it to be returned to its owners, while the persecuted were demanding compensation. He emphasized that there could be no obstacle in this process, but would simply place a limit on how many years it would be held.

Part of the evidence was also the history of the securities that were issued for the compensation. Ruli said that until 2006 the value of the securities increased, although from 1997 there was a break and they were suspended. He revealed that in 1995 he had followed the 100% process with treasury bills, but then a compromise was made that the payment would be made 20% cash and 80% treasury bills.

This change came after former Finance Minister Ridvan Bode demanded money for the state coffers, a stance that Ruli said he understood quite well, having later served as finance minister himself. “There are always coincidences in government stories,” he said.

At the end of his testimony before the special prosecutors, former Minister Genc Ruli briefly explained his acquaintances with some of the main names mentioned in this file. He stated that he has known Sali Berisha since December 1990. As for Jamarbër Malltez, Ruli said that he first noticed him in the courtyard of the Democratic Party as a December student. Meanwhile, regarding citizen Xhimi Begeja, he said that he simply knows him as a Tirana boy, while he remembers Andia Pustina as a former employee in a former ministry.