The new developments shed light on the business relationships related to Shkëlqim Hoxha’s name, after the seizure of “Equos Resort”, where he was a shareholder. “Equos Resort” is a million euro business in Mullet of Tirana, tourist business with swimming pools, restaurants, bars and luxury villas. Çim Hoxha was the director of Games of Chance in the government of Sali Berisha. He has also held important positions in the Ministry of Finance.
According to the data made public by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the resort has been seized as a suspected hidden asset of Ergys Agasi, the latter known for his closeness to Prime Minister Edi Rama and a bunch of other oligarchs who surround the head of government. Ergys Agasi has been declared wanted by SPAK as part of the investigation into the tender scandal of AKSHI. He is also suspected of taking hostages of businessmen who were then blackmailed into withdrawing from the procedure. And it is worth noting that each AKSHI tender was estimated at several million euros.
In this context, the appearance of Hoxha’s name as a shareholder has raised questions about his role in these business structures and whether he acted as a formal representative (prestanome) for other interests.
Suspicions are raised about possible business connections between individuals with different political profiles, including names linked to both the opposition and the majority, among them Shkëlzen Berisha, but also people close to Belinda Balluku. Shkëlzen Berisha is the son of the former prime minister and the current chairman of the DP, Sali Berisha.
Shkëlzen Berisha is known for his ability and flirts with segments close to the majority. He is a shareholder in several towers in the capital. Even the so-called “Mountain of Tirana”, a skyscraper of 64 floors, is thought to be the exclusive property of the son of Sali Berisha who is “hiding” behind the builder Ilir Shtufi, owner of the construction company Nova Construction.
Shkëlzen Berisha is also the beneficiary of several concessions. His name has been linked in the past to the 100 million euro hemodialysis concession.
Also, the son of Sali Berisha is one of the beneficiaries of the Thumane-Kasharë highway concession, even though its owner in the papers is the oligarch Bashkim Ulaj. Regarding the latter, former deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku expressed in communications with her subordinate, Evis Berberi, that he (Ulaj) was ready to “turn into a soldier” after she had done him “the honor of life”.
Shkëlzen Berisha, who is under investigation by SPAK for the affair of the cartridges in Gërdec, where 26 residents lost their lives from the explosion of March 15, 2008, it seems that he will be forced to give explanations before the Special Prosecutor’s Office for indirect connections with Ergys Agas, the most wanted person at the moment.
The same report also applies to Shkelqim Hoxha, who was convicted by the Special Court for involvement in election corruption schemes just a few weeks ago. The decision was made after an expedited judicial process, where the defendants accepted a summary judgment, benefiting from a reduced sentence. Four of the defendants, Limon Shala, Fatmir Thaçi, Engjell Cara and Florant Saraçi, were declared guilty of active corruption in elections, in cooperation and repeated.
Each of them was initially sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, but due to the shortened trial, the sentence was reduced to 1 year in prison. The court decided to suspend the execution of the sentence, releasing them on bail for a 2-year probationary period. During this time, they must not commit other criminal offenses and must report to the Probation Service.
The fifth, the former DP candidate for Rrogozhin Municipality, Shkëlqim Hoxha, was found guilty of failing to report a crime. He was sentenced to 4 months in prison after the sentence was reduced, but will not serve time in a cell. The court decided that imprisonment should be replaced by community service. According to the decision, Hoxha will perform 60 hours of community work within 6 months and will be under the supervision of the Probation Service.
So, Çim Hoxha is a well-known character for the Special Prosecutor’s Office and at least he would not get confused at the iron door as it happens to everyone, because he has passed that gate once. And, he is expected to pass it again, this time for much more serious problems!
