By Salvatore Riggio, CORRIERE DELLA SERA
Igli Tare is under investigation in Albania for money laundering: the former AC Milan sporting director is suspected of having registered a villa in his name that was used as a bribe for former deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku. He was dismissed ten days ago.
These are not good times for Igli Taren. After being sacked by AC Milan on May 25 following the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League, he is now under investigation in Albania for money laundering.
Igli Tare has been informed by SPAK (Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime) that he is under investigation in the "Balluku" case (the investigation is still ongoing).
The investigation is named after former Albanian Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, accused of procurement abuse and under investigation for corruption and money laundering involving approximately one million euros. In essence, as local media reported, the former striker has also been accused of money laundering.
After being summoned to appear as a person informed of the facts, Tare was reportedly questioned for six hours at the Prosecutor's Office offices, where his lawyer was present.
The alleged connection between the politician and the former AC Milan sporting director concerns a villa in Albania, within the exclusive “White Rocks” tourist complex in Dhërmi, on the Ionian coast. According to the prosecution, the house was offered to Balluk as a bribe for a contract awarded to a construction company.
To avoid any trace, the villa was registered in Tare's name. According to the Prosecution, it was Tare herself who signed "a fictitious rental agreement with Balluk's former chief of staff."
In reality, the Prosecution also claims that the villa is owned by the former Deputy Prime Minister.
