The Economic and Financial Crime Investigation Sector at the Tirana Local Police Directorate is said to have started investigations into a suspected scheme of fraud, theft and money laundering by some so-called activists, part of the Flamingos protest and then the students. Economic crime has been set in motion after several public denunciations and in other ways that some characters have collected hundreds of thousands of euros for the past few months through the GoFundMe platform, allegedly to support with logistics the protests for the overthrow of the Rama government from power.
The funds collected for the alleged causes allegedly did not go to finance the protests against Rama, but were appropriated by the so-called representatives of Flamingos and students, investing in real estate, luxury trips, etc. On the other hand, until today, none of the characters suspected of fraud, tax evasion and money laundering has made transparency about how the collected money was used.
Jurgen Shpërdhea, one of the accused on social networks for embezzling funds, claimed that he was being transparent, but it is not possible to prove his claim that he gave a part of the collected money to the frontline protesters in the rallies against the Rama government. Meanwhile, the Economic Crime is known to be investigating other cases of fraud through the collection of funds through the GoFundMe platform, to help fake people in difficult economic situations or with health problems, as well as for real people, but the collected funds have disappeared.
Investigations and charges
The Tirana police are investigating the citizen Arjan Koçi, an Albanian who says he lives in London, and who has come to Albania since the Flamingo protests. According to the police, he made public calls for violent actions during the protest, and opened a GoFundMe account to collect funds, deceiving citizens that his life was in danger.
Meanwhile, journalist Andi Kurti, a supporter of the protests against the Rama government, has denounced that some characters are getting rich at the expense of the protest, collecting funds in its name, money which is then appropriated in other forms. The denunciation is addressed to some activists, who collect funds through the GoFundMe platform, allegedly to logistically support the revolutions for the overthrow of the Rama government, thus lying and manipulating many Albanians, mainly from the Diaspora, who believe that their money will go to finance the protests and not to the pockets of some thieves.
The journalist calls on Albanians not to give money to these fraudsters, but only to safe, reliable, confirmed sources that provide full transparency on how the collected money is spent. Since the Flamingos protest started, some crooked characters, through the GoFundMe platform, are believed to have collected, stolen and laundered hundreds of thousands of euros in the name of protests for the overthrow of the government. Ironically, the theft of funds has been made possible by denouncing government affairs, as part of the strategy to convince as many Albanians as possible to contribute money.
Among many others, as part of this scheme, i.e. for collecting money through the GoFundMe platform for the cause of the protests and their theft, the activist Jurgen Shpërdhea, part of the protests against the government, was arrested. According to claims and accusations on social networks, Spërdhea has collected thousands of euros in donations in the name of the protest and fled to Spain. Through an Instagram post, Spërdhesa responded by publishing fundraising figures, some bank transfers and WhatsApp conversations, claiming to be fully transparent about how the money was used. Meanwhile, accusations of embezzlement of funds in the name of the protest were also articulated by the activist, Gerta Shino.
Another case that has raised great doubts is related to the open campaign for File Bulku and her 19-year-old son with autism spectrum disorders. USD 160,000 is suspected to have disappeared. Arjan Koçi, along with several tiktokers and citizens who contributed, raised big public questions about the organization or people who administered the campaign. /Backstage
