The Vetting Show, News24
For almost 3 years in Shkodra, in the Kiri Valley, 20 families have not been able to go to their lands, where they have agricultural products with which they support the family economy. Ahmet Meta, a citizen of Shkodra, former goalkeeper of Vllaznia and Beselidhja, addressed the editorial office of "Vetting" not to talk about football, but about his property. The retired football star, today sees his property only from the hill opposite, as it has been unfairly isolated.
"I am a former resident of this neighborhood where my father was born, but so was I 110 years ago. Today we have a problem on the road that separates the properties on the banks of the Kiri River, which has closed our roads and we don't know where to go," Ahmet Meta told "Vetting".
The former athlete denounces that for decades he has used a traditional road to access his properties that extend to the coast of Kiri. Today, this road is blocked, completely cutting off access and causing great difficulties in managing his lands in separate plots, while institutions doze off on this problem.
"Every Shkodran resident has it there, we have been passing through that street for 70 years and today they have closed it to us. We have complained to both the Municipality and the Mufti, they have said kind words to us, but they have not solved anything," said Meta.
His words reflect not only a legal right to access the land that belongs to him, but also the despair of a citizen who, despite his personal history and contribution to the community, today faces an unfair obstacle.
As a resident of this neighborhood, Meta emphasizes that for years the transition was made through understanding and agreements with society, but today every road is blocked. This story reflects how the lack of institutional solutions has led to the abandonment of the fertile land, where even where there is a will to engage in livestock and agriculture, the state is not cooperative.
From 2019 to 2024, the area of planted land has decreased by 19 thousand hectares, so from 677 thousand hectares, 19 thousand hectares less have been planted, according to INSTAT.
Another isolated resident is Zef Vuksani, an investor who returned from emigration to Italy, who recounts his frustration with bureaucratic procedures in Albania. Vuksani says that although he purchased the land in 1994 with proper documentation and a certificate of ownership, for more than a decade he has not been able to make maximum use of it due to problems with the connection to the national road.
"We haven't received a single penny for a piece of land of about 15 dunyams, even though we spent money because we had problems with the road. They have completely blocked our entrance, and the residents won't even let us pass," Vuksani told "Vetting".
He further adds that the institutions have not found a solution.
"We spent the entire winter at the Municipality. They told us big words, but they didn't give us any solutions," says Vuksani.
Access to the property is completely blocked. According to Mr. Vuksani, not only is the road leading to the land impassable, but the surrounding residents also do not allow passage through their plots, isolating him and making it impossible for him to use his property, for which he has sacrificed for years.
"I have Albanian-Italian citizenship. I'm in danger of packing my bags and leaving where I came from. It's an extraordinary place for agrotourism, the municipality has given us their word," declares a disappointed Vuksan.
The latter has returned to Albania to invest in an area with extraordinary potential, where the Kiri and Buna rivers join, creating a 15 square meter area of sand and water.
They claim that they have been denied a fundamental right, that of access to their property through easement. The residents point out that although the Municipality has made promises of solutions, nothing concrete has been done.
At the constitutional level, the right to property and its use is protected by Article 41 of the Constitution, which guarantees private ownership and its use according to law. Therefore, the easement as a right of way is supported by this constitutional guarantee and is regulated in detail by civil laws. The right of way derives from civil laws and property law. According to the Civil Code, an easement is a real right that allows the owner of a property to pass through or partially use the property of another for certain needs, such as passage or road use.
This scene was captured live by the Vetting cameras during a field observation. Footage of the employee closing the fence appears on screen, while a dialogue takes place. This is one form of access blocking.
Mustafa Leka, now a pensioner and a professor by profession, is unable to access his hectares with vehicles, but only by walking through neighbors' gardens. The economic damage for pensioner Leka is considerable, considering the small and insufficient pensions in the country.
He explains that he does not know who to contact for permission to cross and that access to their land depends on the wishes of their neighbors. This situation has created great difficulties in their daily lives.
"There is another main road that other people have occupied, but this road is also blocked for us. There are about twenty families who eat bread on this land," Mustafa Leka told "Vetting".
The residents have a common request, they want to go to their lands. According to lawyer Alban Duraj, in this case there can be no roadblocks.
"If the road is public or state property, of course this occupied part of the land has the status of being under the jurisdiction of the municipality, then it is up to it to intervene," said lawyer Duraj.
The municipality becomes an obstacle to solving the problem
Vetting was on the ground to pass through areas where residents could not pass, but they encountered obstacles from other people because, according to the latter, it was private land and passage was not allowed.
Excerpts from the field conversation
Vetting: Can we go over to the other side from there?
The worker: It's out of the question.
Vetting: Can't pass here?
Worker: It's not even a question.
Vetting: How are you doing?
This is part of an on-site conversation between Vetting journalists and one of the residents, who owns property where other residents claim the road used to be. The residents of this area have raised their voices in institutions, but to date have not received any solution.
"They have another main road and other people have occupied it, but they are blocking this road for us too. There are about twenty families who earn their living on this land. The state must solve this problem, we have been complaining to the municipality for 3 years, but there has been no solution," says Mustafa Leka.
According to lawyer Duraj, the Municipality must provide a solution to this problem.
"If the road is public or state property, of course this occupied part of the land has the status of being under the jurisdiction of the municipality, then it is up to it to intervene," said lawyer Duraj.
Vetting was at the Shkodra Municipality with the residents to obtain clarification from the institution, where the residents were met by the Deputy Mayor of Shkodra, Alban Preka.
(Hidden camera)
Deputy Chairman: I told you it's permanent, it's done in October, November, December. It's budgeted and left for the next year, permanent, forever.
Citizen 1: Today we have the opportunity to go to the property without any problems.
Citizen 2: It's been done forever...
The Deputy: Yes, we'll do it later, man. I'm telling you, it'll be done later. That thing wasn't planned this year, it'll be done next year. Are we a state?
It will be resolved next year permanently, it will be resolved next year with a new road. The road will be built here, whoever is to be expropriated will be expropriated, a new road will be opened. The next time, with arhad, they will give it a definitive solution.
Citizen 1: Like men, huh?
Deputy Chairman: Yes, yes, like men!
Citizen 2: Your word in the ear of God.
Deputy Chairman: Both parties must be cooperative.
Citizen 1: There are 20 families asking me to go to their gardens.
Citizen 3: We were there two months ago and you told us you would meet all of us.
Citizen 2: Choose us, then! (addresses the deputy mayor of Shkodra Municipality)
Deputy Speaker: There is no way out without an agreement. They are lying, but look, we are in this situation, we are finding a solution. This is how we will bring both sides together to find a solution. We provide the solution!
This is the conversation between the residents of the Kiri Valley in Shkodër and the deputy mayor of Shkodër, Alban Preka. Preka has promised them a solution, but as of the time of publication of this material, the road has not been opened for the residents.
According to lawyer Alban Duraj, from the moment they filed their first complaint with the municipality and it did not resolve their problem, residents have the right to receive compensation for the damage caused to them.
"The moment they do not receive a solution, I suggest the residents contact the prosecutor's office with a criminal report for abuse of office since they have not received a solution even after notifying the institution," says lawyer Duraj.
The lawyer adds that in these cases the Municipality is obligated to build and remove these unauthorized constructions.
"Here we are in the criminal offense of abuse of office by these employees or officials, who I don't know who they are. It is the head of the institution for the protection of the territory, who has the specific duty to exercise this duty, he must perform such a thing. If he has not performed it, then the Prosecution should conduct an investigation regarding this matter," said lawyer Duraj.
The state turns a blind eye to construction between roads
The problem raised by residents, who cannot access their lands due to unauthorized interventions or construction, is also evidenced by official reports from institutions.
The State Audit Office's report on the implementation of the 2022 recommendations highlights a problematic situation in Shkodra, where informal construction has been allowed in areas where the law clearly prohibits it, including protected areas, riverbanks, water basins and even on existing roads.
According to the audit, these constructions violate the law on protected areas, the law on water resources management, and the Road Code, indicating failure in all areas in terms of institutional control.
The Albanian Supreme Audit Office (ALSA) requests that the Local Directorate of the State Cadastre Agency in Shkodra conduct on-site verifications of 517 objects recorded without permits, to check whether they have made a self-declaration for legalization and, if not, to initiate procedures for revoking permits and updating property registers.
The report foresees disciplinary measures for 9 employees involved, including warnings of dismissal. In cases where the construction does not affect road projects, restrictions can be lifted, but when they affect infrastructure, permits should be canceled and legal intervention should be taken.
In this way, the blocking of roads leading to residents' properties is not simply a local problem. It points to deeper problems with law enforcement and the way institutions function, directly affecting the lives and future of the community.
According to tender data, the municipality has distributed funds in several directions, but specifically for the reconstruction of the "Rragam–Sheldi" road, Lot 1, it has allocated 166 thousand euros. There were 7 companies in the competition, while the winner was announced as the joint venture SMO Vataksi & SMO Union SHPK with a bid of 116 thousand euros.
This procedure was appealed after a complaint was filed with the Municipality of Shkodra with the letter no. Protocol 21195 regarding the decision of the Bid Evaluation Committee for the company “Delia Impex” shpk. Subsequently, with the letter “Delia Impex” received a negative response and its claims were not taken into account.
"Delia Impex" was disqualified because the rented asphalt truck had not paid its vehicle taxes and did not have a certificate for the transport of dangerous goods.
The problem with the tender is that the criteria used to disqualify one company were not applied equally to the competing company that was declared the winner. This creates a situation of two different standards in the evaluation.
The Commission has identified as an unfulfilled criterion for the disqualified company the fact that the rented vehicle and the certificate for the transport of goods within the country were not “for a third party”. Meanwhile, the winner, SMO Vataksi & SMO Union shpk, also turns out to have rented a vehicle, specifically “Autobot uji”, from “G. 2” SHPK, where according to the documentation it lacks the certificate “For the transport of goods within the country for its own account”, i.e. not “for a third party”. Also, according to the same claim, the payment of vehicle taxes is also missing.
These two elements were treated as disqualifying for BOE “DI” shpk & “Rr. UE” shpk, but were not treated as such for the consortium “SMOU” shpk & “SMOV” shpk. The KVO wrote that “DI” shpk & “Rr. UE” shpk did not meet the criterion because the certificates of the rented vehicles were for personal use and not for service to third parties. However, this criterion does not appear to have been expressly required in the DT, as point 2.3.11 simply requires a valid certificate for the transport of goods within the country.
This situation constitutes a serious violation and creates a risk of misuse of public funds because the failure to evaluate bids according to the same criteria violates the principle of equality in procurement. According to the data, this evaluation with two standards has resulted in the use of public funds in violation of legal requirements, in the amount of 16,6 million lek. Part of this data is also recorded on Openprocurement.al, the AIS platform, where in certain cases a “red flag” is also placed when there are indications of irregularities, favoritism or a risk of corruption.
Meanwhile, another tender for Lot 2 has been opened for the same road and again the same company has emerged as the winner, this time winning around 370 thousand euros from SMO Vataksi & SMO Union shpk.
The SMO Vataksi company has as administrator and shareholder Xhevat Vataksi, a name known to the public. On May 7, 2008, the area in the village of Daragjat was shaken by gunfire, where Xhevat Vataksi was wounded by 4 bullets. According to reports at the time, the conflict was related to works that Vataksi had been contracted by the state to carry out and that also affected the property of the suspected perpetrator. The parties had discussed the issue several times, without reaching an agreement, while the 60-year-old had informed them that he was obliged to implement the project only "on paper".
Also, Xhevat Vataksi is the owner of a construction company that was subcontracted by the Albanian Development Fund for the reconstruction of the Bërdicë-Trush segment on the Shkodër-Velipoja axis.
On the social level, the consequences are reflected in the local community, where residents report blocked access roads to their properties and a lack of response from institutions. According to residents' testimonies, as in the case of the Kiri valley, alternative access has also been blocked, while complaints to the municipality and other institutions have only brought promises of temporary solutions, without a final intervention.
Overall, the Supreme State Audit highlights serious weaknesses in law enforcement, territorial control, management of public funds, and institutional response, turning the problem from a local issue into an indicator of broader shortcomings in public administration and the protection of community interests.
Due to the institutions that have left the situation at this point, another actor who had the opportunity to contribute to this community, according to them, the other path that these residents had, was blocked by the Plumbi mosque.
This mosque is one of the oldest buildings in Shkodra and the largest and most beautiful mosque in Albania until the first half of the 20th century.
The mosque was covered with lead, which is why it was called the "Lead Mosque", and it is still known by this name today. The Lead Mosque was built in 1773-1774 at the foot of the Rozafa Castle in the Qafë Neighborhood of Shkodra with Ottoman architecture and is today a First Category Cultural Monument.
The mosque is located outside the Shkodra bazaar, at the foot of the Rozafa Castle, in a meadow on the plain of the Kir and Drin rivers. Residents say that the blockade of one of the roads that had been their only hope to unblock their properties has been blocked with the start of works on the Plumb Mosque.
They say they have raised their concerns with both the Municipality and the Mosque. However, this matter has not been resolved.
Dozens of citizens with title deeds and hopes of investing in their land today feel excluded. In the end, what remains is not just a closed road, but a system that allows injustices to continue, leaving citizens in the middle of their battle for a simple right. Institutions that promise solutions remain silent or fall prey to corruption and inaction while residents fight to protect their properties and dignity.
