After only three days on the job, the freshly-appointed head of Vlora’s Asset Registration Offices Viola Hima, has resigned.
Hima is the sixth Vlora Asset Registration Offices (Hipoteka) director to resign in the last 9 months, and the 14th to resign since 2013 when the Socialist Party took power.
She was appointed on Friday, May 29, and resigned on Monday, June 1.
Hima was meant to replace Biblil Aliaj, who resigned 3 months ago.
Director of the Cadastral State Agency Artan Lame has continuously implied that the resignations from Vlora’s Hipoteka come as a result of attempts to remove persons engaged in unlawful activities from real estate institutions.
However, several media investigations have revealed that this is not a case of dismissals.
The resignations have been connected by the press to the conflict over the ownership of a strip of the Jal beach, where the company Soleil & Sea will build three hotels after receiving a “strategic investment” construction permit by the government.
An ownership claim has halted constructions. There have been a number of court rulings regarding this case, and their execution, alongside failures to execute them, has led to several officials of the Vlora Hipoteka abusing their duty. Hipoteka’s former head Taulant Cenameti, himself, has been sued by the Gjoka family following his involvement in this case.
Tourist resorts have seen support by the government for being “strategic investments.” Since 2015, the law makes it easier for “strategic investors” to carry out construction projects, as compared to regular businesses or individuals.
Three years ago, journalist Lindita Çela reported that a number of these strategic investments were being built on properties of contested ownership. Cases of contested ownership have been a staple in Vlora courts, with 403 such suits being filed last year, alone.
