Amia, the Italian company that partnered with the Tirana municipality to form the waste management company EcoTirana has been accused by an Italian prosecution office of circulating money in the interests of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group. Several Italian news outlets have made the news public.
Andrea Miglioranzi, the head of the AGSM Holding Administrative Board until January 30, 2018 and president of Amia (one of the two AGSM shareholder companies), and former Verona mayor Flavio Tosi, who signed the contract to create the joint EcoTirana company, are currently being investigated for collaborating with members of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group.
On June 4, 2020, the Italian prosecution office found that “Amia has been used to circulate money [connected to the ‘Ndrangheta criminal organization], and its two leaders are currently under investigation.”
The prosecution has accused 26 people, including former mayor Tosi and Andrea Miglioranzi, of collaborating with a criminal organization, fraud, money laundering, taking bribes, drug trafficking, corruption, and transferring material goods in contradiction with the law.
Tosi is being investigated, but has not been arrested yet, for using the Verona municipality company Amia to pay a €5000 bill for a private investigator.
Whereas Andrea Miglioranzi, currently under house arrest, stands accused of having used the waste management company Amia to circulate money from the ‘Ndrangheta organization.
Tosi and Miglioranzi have been previously accused by the Italian prosecution of collaborating with one of ‘Ndrangheta’s leaders, Antonio Gardino, who has now been arrested.
Miglioranzi has been investigated by the Italian prosecution as being the head of companies controlled by the ‘Ndrangheta criminal organization. Meanwhile, Italian media has previously published a picture of former mayor Tosi and Antonio Gardino.
The History of EcoTirana
In June 2016, Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj created a joint company, wherein the municipality partnered with the Verona municipality company Amia, whose purpose was collecting waste in Tirana.
To this purpose, in June 2016 EcoTirana was created, with €1 million in initial capital, and owned by the Tirana municipality (51%) and the Italian company AGMS Holding (49%). The latter is, in turn, owned by AGSM and Amia, two municipal companies under the control of the Verona municipality.
Appointed by mayor Tosi, Andrea Miglioranzi was the head of the AGSM Holding Administrative Board and the president of Amia. He is an infamous name in Italian political and judicial news.
