Mustafa Martinaj, Ervis Martinaj’s father, testified at the court hearing on the seized assets. During the hearing, he spoke about the financial activity over the years, the life and education of his son, Vis Martinaj, as well as how the family had secured income.
Martinaj said that his son had studied economics in Italy and then returned to Albania to stay with his sisters, while denying any problems or concerns on his part.
In his testimony before the court, Mustafa Martinaj also spoke about his financial activity during the difficult years of transition, saying that in 1999 he transported over 800 thousand dollars in cash by vehicle to various areas of the north of the country, emphasizing that this was money from his legal and declared activity.
Mustafa Martinaj: Visi was initially a student in Parma, Italy, around 2000-2001. He went on a scholarship, studied economics for two years in Italy. The girls were at school in Albania. When the girls started their studies, Visi moved to live with his sisters, he moved to Tirana. Then later they got married. The apartment was taken, make no mistake, at the end of 2005.
Visi was above average in his studies. He wanted to go to school in Italy. He left his studies in Italy halfway through and came to Tirana to live with his sisters. Until he went to school, he was very hardworking and liked his independence. He had never done any work in Italy.
He asked me for help to buy a house together. I bought two cars, one for the two girls, one for Visi. I took out a loan of 12,500 euros for the girls, a small Japanese car. I didn’t have any problems with the guy. I had the keys, a dry hand doesn’t kiss. We are a traditional mountain family.
He continued his studies in economics even after he came to Albania, he didn’t take the exams because he didn’t get his diploma. He opened a second one himself, I don’t remember his name, if I look for his name I can find it, a guy from Tirana, he repaired the toys that these people played with, with horses.
You see me here, disabled as I was, I traveled alone from Tirana with over 800 thousand dollars in cash, cards and phone at 12 o’clock at night, in the most difficult period, in ’99, the gangs were on the road. I had a 2400 car, I took it in the trunk, to Rubik and Rrëshen, it was the money from my activity. UFT was a private institution, the Financial Union of Tirana, I received the amounts there. Not even a scratch happened to me, I played with my head, incidents happen to others.