Alban Mësonjësi, the husband of Durrës prosecutor Ornela Rrumbullaku who is closely involved with Temporary General Prosecutor Arta Marku, is one of the businessmen who facilitated access into the Albanian financial market for two companies involved in the “Panama Papers” scandal.
Lajme.al has published an investigative piece that describes how Mësonjësi created a, very likely fictive, betting company, 24Bast, co-owned by Panama-registered companies Trillado Enterprises and Antilova Enterprises.
Mësonjësi, 24Bast’s CEO and main partner, declared that he contributed 20 million lekë for the foundation of the company in April 2015. However, this figure cannot be found in any of the documentation. Furthermore, he, as CEO, received a money transfer of €100,000 from Trillado Enterprises. This figure, also, is nowhere to be found in the company’s books.
Lajme.al’s investigation also unearthed some interesting information regarding financial maneuvers that cross the Albanian borders. Trillado Enterprises and Antilova Enterprises seem to be among many subsidiaries of the company Franco & Franco, registered in Panama, but Cypriot-owned.
This data has been made public following the Panama Papers scandal. In an article of the Greek lobbystar.gr, it was revealed that Franco & Franco has at least 275 registered subsidiaries, dispersed in different countries. Two of them, Trillado and Antilova, have attempted to gain access to the Albanian market through Alban Mësonjësi.
To clarify what the Panama Papers scandal consisted in and why it caused a shock in the international financial world, we refer to the explanation provided by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which was the first to break the story after receiving the leaked Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, documents.
[…] Generally speaking, owning an offshore company is not illegal in itself. In fact, establishing an offshore company can be seen as a logical step for a broad range of business transactions. However, a look through the Panama Papers very quickly reveals that concealing the identities of the true company owners was the primary aim in the vast majority of cases. From the outset, the journalists had their work cut out for them. The providers of offshore companies – among them banks, lawyers, and investment advisors – often keep their clients’ names secret and use proxies. In turn, the proxies’ tracks then lead to heads of state, important officials, and millionaires. […]
The company at the center of all these stories is Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian provider of offshore companies with dozens of offices all over the world. It sells its shell firms in cities such as Zurich, London, and Hong Kong – in some instances at bargain prices. Clients can buy an anonymous company for as little as USD 1,000. However, at this price it is just an empty shell. For an extra fee, Mossack Fonseca provides a sham director and, if desired, conceals the company’s true shareholder. […]
Precisely two of these “empty shell” companies have approached Albania through Alban Mësonjësi as a partner in his company 24Bast, that seems to lack any activity. AsSüddeutsche Zeitung explained, shell companies are used mainly to conceal the company’s true shareholder. Then, inevitably, the question that emerges is, who is Alban Mësonjësi concealing?
Most likely, Mësonjësi will have to account for these suspicious financial activities, initially before the vetting committee, when his wife, prosecutor Ornela Rrumbullaku undergoes the process. According to the Family Code of Albania, assets acquired during the marriage are considered joint assets. Therefore, in the case at hand, the wealth of the prosecutor’s husband is considered hers.
On the other hand, cases of money laundering are supposed to be immediately investigated by the Prosecution Office. However, the Prosecution is currently headed by Temporary General Prosecutor Arta Marku who sees Ornela Rrumbullaku as her own personal “investment.” The question, then, remains: will Marku prosecute?
