The Italian company “Meral SRL”, owned by the Çela family, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the former head of SPAK, Altin Dumani, following the seizure of the business’s assets.
The case is related to an operation conducted in early July of last year, when a joint investigation between the Tirana prosecution and the Guardia di Finanza culminated in the seizure of property worth 4 million euros.
According to the theory of SPAK prosecutor Altin Dumani, an entire building in Via Murari Bra, containing 30 shops and offices, as well as a complex in Nogarole Rocca, was purchased by “Meral SRL”, owned by the Çela family, using money from illegal trafficking, particularly cocaine trafficking.
The company’s accounts were then seized, credit was denied and assets worth millions of euros were frozen. A month later, on August 4, investigating judge Paola Vacca, who had also requested the seizure of assets, decided to overturn her order, and ordered the release and return of all assets to the owners.
Documentation provided by the Çela family’s lawyers showed that every euro had been earned legally through legitimate business activities and then invested. None of the family members had any criminal past, no investigations initiated, not even a parking ticket.
SPAK itself in Albania, and specifically prosecutor Dumani, had dropped the money laundering charges, which they had then sent to Italy.
Despite the release of the seizure and the sending of the documentation submitted by the lawyers to the Prosecutor’s Office by the investigating judge for a review of the charges (in this case, money laundering), which did not happen, the company’s financial problems continued.
Despite the release of the properties, the banks have closed their accounts and the loss of banking operations has affected financial management, including the offices in Via Murari Bra, which have been left without maintenance, causing a series of complaints from tenants.
The judge in the case also rejected the request to extend the investigation, arguing that there was no reason to continue, especially given the findings of the interested parties, because no illegally obtained euros had been recorded.
The Çela family’s wealth stems from managing the Elbasan market and its subsequent expansion, as profits multiplied tenfold. They also bought shares in a company, “Ruga Asfalti”, which builds dams, tunnels, bridges and highways in Albania and other Balkan countries.
After the situations created, within a year, the legal representative of the company “Meral SRL” filed a defamation lawsuit against the former head of SPAK, Altin Dumani.
The Verona prosecutor’s office requested a stay of proceedings, but the pre-trial judge, Enrico Zuccon, decided not to close the case at this stage. The court has given the Italian authorities two months to carry out additional verifications, including examining the documentation sent by the Albanian authorities, as well as clarifying whether, at the time of the transmission of the materials, there were decisions in Albania that had terminated the investigations or dismissed the charges against the Çela family and whether these had been communicated to the Italian authorities.
Dumani’s defense attorney has asked Judge Zuccon to dismiss the case, arguing that the complaint was filed to file charges against the Albanian prosecutor, in connection with several investigations into organized crime that he is conducting. Currently, the case has not been dismissed, but additional investigations are needed, as they will be returned to the investigating judge in two months.
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