Yesterday police arrested two former SP Members of Parliament, Arben Ndoka and Arben Çuko.
Former Lezha MP Ndoka was arrested as part of a “criminal organization” that had forged the property ownership for thousands square meters of land in the area known as “Rana e Hedhun” in Shengjin city. Ndoka is accused of “forging documents”, “forging seals, stamps and forms” as well as “land abuse”.
Police has so far revealed that Ndoka’s phone calls had been intercepted since March 2018,when Lezha County Police was investigating into and later arrested 12 persons – among them the Mayor of Lezha, who was similarly accused of “forging the ownership of state property”.
All people arrested, including former MP Ndoka, are accused of having changed the ownership and appropriated through forgery more than 200 thousand square meters of land in Shengjin.
The file is being investigated by Prosecutor Vladimir Mara of the Serious Crimes Prosecution.
Arben Ndoka earned his term as an MP of Lezha County in 2014, after two socialist MPs from 2013 elections resigned in a row. In 2015 Ndoka quit his term as an MP after it was revealed through the Decriminalization Law that he was formerly sentenced in Italy on charges of human trafficking, but after the interference of the Albanian courts he was able to get a considerable reduction in his sentence, resulting in his release from prison after merely 3 years of detention.
Former MP Arben Çuko, on the other hand, was appointed General Director of Prisons in 2017, and was arrested on charges of “passive corruption” while in this position. He is suspected of accepting bribes in return of approving leaves for convicts.
Similar to Ndoka, Çuko was also detected from police phone interceptions of a group involved in drug trafficking. In one of the cases, involving the transfer of Olsi Karagjozi – convicted of murder, Çuko is suspected to have profited a car and money.
In 2009 Arben Çuko became an MP for the Socialist Party (Fier County). In 2017 he was appointed General Director of Prisons, but one months ago, on September 3rd, Minister of Justice Etilda Gjoni dismissed him from duty.
Prime Minister Rama has so far reacted on Çuko’s arrest only. In a tweet he wrote: “Sorry for A. Çuko, but for us there are no two stands towards the law; there is only one.”
