Businessman Ermal Beqiri, wanted by Albanian justice for the issue of AKSHI tenders, will continue to remain in custody in France. The Court of Appeal in Amiens has rejected his request for release, while a final decision on his extradition to Albania has not yet been made.
During the hearing held on Friday, October 23, Beqiri denied the charges brought against him, claiming that the investigation by Albanian authorities has political motives.
According to the French newspaper Le Courrier Picard, the businessman has questioned the fact that, while he is accused of corruption, according to his claim, officials who may have been involved in this activity are not behind bars.
“If I have corrupted anyone, it is the state. But from that side, no one is in prison. However, there is a problem here. This issue is purely political,” Beqiri said before the court.
At the center of the judicial process in France is the request of the Albanian authorities for his extradition, as part of SPAK’s investigations into suspicions of manipulation of public tenders in the information technology sector.
The investigation includes 19 procurement procedures, with a total estimated value of around 59 million euros. The Special Prosecution Office suspects that the businessman played a role in a scheme aimed at securing public contracts through the restriction of competition and the use of pressure.
Meanwhile, Beqiri’s legal defense has objected to the documentation presented by Albanian institutions to support the extradition request.
Lawyer Nicolas Paganelli has raised questions about the guarantees offered by Albania, calling the documents incomplete and insufficient.
The file sent to the French authorities includes letters from the Ministry of Justice, SPAK, and the General Directorate of Prisons, which aim to provide guarantees for legal procedures and the treatment of the businessman in the event of extradition.
On the other hand, the representative of the French prosecution has expressed his support for the surrender of Beqiri to the Albanian authorities, arguing that the court in Amiens has no duty to judge the functioning of the justice system in Albania.
Ermal Beqiri was arrested in France at the end of July, following an incident with his private plane, which he flew over the Penly nuclear power plant.
Despite the defense’s efforts to secure his release, the French court has ordered his continued detention.
The businessman is now awaiting a decision that will determine whether he will be extradited to Albania to face justice in the AKSHI tenders case.