The government’s recent decision to make available to the company “Omnix Albania” about 9 hectares of state-owned land in Lalëzi Bay, against a symbolic fee of 1 euro, brings back to attention a name not a little talked about in the world of construction, Shkëlqim Beshirin.
He is not just one of the businessmen behind the project. Through the company “KLAR”, Beshiri controls 50% of the capital of “Omnix Albania”, being its largest shareholder.
But his name becomes politically even more interesting for another reason.
For years, Shkëlqim Beshiri has been rumored in the media for close business ties with Shkëlzen Berisha, the son of the former prime minister and chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha. In some of these publications, it has gone even further, describing Beshir as a “prestanome” or “washer” of Shkëlzen Berisha’s assets.
But the expansion of Beshir’s activity in the construction sector makes the question important: who is the businessman who today benefits from another decision of Edi Rama’s government?
At first glance, Beshir’s profile does not necessarily lead to one of the biggest names in construction in Albania. His name is also associated with much more modest activities, among them bars and cafes in Tirana. But behind this facade lies a much wider activity. Through its related companies, Shkëlqim Beshiri’s name appears in construction projects for housing, tourism and large developments in some of the areas where land and square meters have received the highest values in the country.
One of the companies that has been repeatedly mentioned in reports about him is “LIM-EM”. It is precisely around this company that some of the strongest media accusations about his relationship with Shkëlzen Berisha have been raised.
The allegations are that Beshiri is the formal owner of the company, while behind it are interests connected to the son of the former prime minister. While many questions have been raised about the relationship between the company’s declared financial activity and the large number of construction permits that it is claimed to have secured construction permits in Tirana, Durrës and the coastal municipalities of the south.
From Lalzi to the 65-story tower
The name of Beshir and related companies appears in projects that require large capitals and that affect some of the most coveted areas of the country.
In November 2025, “KLAR” was involved in a project for a 65-story building above ground in the area of Bulevardit i Ri in Tirana, with residential, hotel and commercial functions. So, on the one hand, we have a businessman who for years has remained relatively far from the attention of the general public. On the other hand, we have a name that appears more and more behind projects with dozens of floors, tourist complexes and large areas of land.
Beshiri also appears in other big projects. The name of the company “KLAR” has also appeared in the procedure for the multifunctional project near the Palace of Congresses in Tirana. In the first stage of the procedure developed by the Albanian Investment Corporation, “KLAR” was among the operators selected to continue the competition for a project of significant construction value in the heart of the capital.
Another element that adds to the question marks about this business circle is the fact that Shkëlqim Beshiri has close family ties with the other businessman Ilir Shtufit. The latter, another great builder who, like Beshiri, has been rumored for years in the media for close ties with Shkëlzen Berisha. Shtufi is one of the major beneficiaries of building permits in Tirana, the companies connected to it are involved in projects with hundreds of thousands of square meters of construction, while one of the most popular investments is the “Mountain of Tirana” tower.
And here the story comes back to Gjiri i Lalezi. The government decided to make available to “Omnix Albania” three state properties with a total area of 90,030 square meters. So, with Rama’s signature, about 9 hectares of land were given in one of the most coveted tourist areas of the Albanian coast, with a symbolic fee of 1 euro. The biggest shareholder of the beneficiary company is exactly “KLAR” of Shkëlqim Beshiri, while here the issue goes beyond the limits of an ordinary business story.
Because we have a socialist government that invests state assets in the function of an investment where the main shareholder is a businessman who for years has been publicly rumored to have close relations with the son of Sali Berisha, the main political opponent of Edi Rama.
Beshir’s case does not in itself prove a Rama-Berisha agreement. But it creates a contrast that calls for an answer. How does a businessman, rumored for years as a person economically close to the family of the prime minister’s biggest opponent, manage to be part of projects that receive permission, strategic status or the use of state assets during the government of the latter?
Thus, while Rama and Berisha continue their daily political battle, business runs on much calmer ground. From construction permits to towers, from tourist projects to public land, the businessman rumored for years for his ties to Shkëlzen Berisha is today at the center of an investment that carries the signature of Edi Rama’s government./VNA.al
