At first, among the assets found belonging to the AKSHI cartel, Ergys Egas’s villa and swimming pool complex on the outskirts of Tirana stood out. Then came the surprising news of the bottles of wine worth almost 3 million euros, which disappeared under the noses of the police.
Later, a million-euro yacht called Ermal Beqiri’s “Skyfall” came out, along with villas in exclusive complexes, apartments, bank accounts, luxury cars. This week, Albanians learned that their money had also been used to buy a private jet, which Beqiri was arrested on a week ago in France. But the bag of stolen tax money was much deeper.
SPAK prosecutors announced for the first time that French authorities had identified another luxury estate in the Oise department, France, no more and no less, but a castle about an hour from Paris.
The announcement states that “bank accounts with a total value of over two million euros, two apartments, the purchase of a castle in the Oise department (60) for around 2.6 million euros, motor vehicles, etc. were discovered.”
A Lapsi.al verification of French public documents and sources identifies the property matching SPAK’s description as Château d’Auteuil, a historic residence in the commune of Berneuil-en-Bray, in the Oise department.
The match is based on three facts, 1) the location of the property, 2) the value of the sale transaction two years ago, and 3) another very significant element: on the official website of this castle, in the “Mentions légales” section, the name “ermal beqiri” appears as the publisher of the page, with the address of Château d’Auteuil itself in Berneuil-en-Bray.
On the page above, it appears that Ermal Beqiri, despite having millions of euros that he had secured through AKSHI tenders with Ergys Agas, personally took care to include his name in the design of the castle’s website, which French authorities say is owned by him.
The transaction of 2,612,200 euros
French real estate transaction databases record that on December 30, 2024, Château d’Auteuil was sold for 2,612,200 euros.
The figure matches almost identically with what SPAK mentions in its announcement, which talks about “the purchase of a castle in the Oise department for around 2.6 million euros.”
Previously, in 2003, the building was purchased by Pol Thomas de La Pintière and Sabine Darondeau, who invested around one million euros in its restoration, turning it into a reception facility with rooms for tourists, weddings and private events.
Even earlier, it had been owned by Franco-Lebanese businesswoman Mouna Ayoub, one of the most well-known figures of the French jet-set.
A French historical monument
Château d’Auteuil is located in Berneuil-en-Bray, about an hour from Paris and near Beauvais Airport.
According to French historical records, its oldest parts date back to the late 16th century, while the building took on its current appearance during the 19th century.
The residence is built in the Louis XIII style, with characteristic red brick facades and thin natural stone tile roofs. It is surrounded by moats and a surrounding park, while the facades and roofs are protected as a historical monument by the French state.
Its history spans more than four centuries. The first castle was destroyed at the end of the 16th century, but was rebuilt on the same foundations and took on its current appearance.
The official website states that its restoration has been ongoing for more than two decades.
“Since 2003, 70 percent of the 35 rooms have been restored, respecting history and adding modern-day comfort,” while the authors of the presentation add that the castle “becomes more beautiful every day.”
Another description on the website emphasizes that all income from tourism activity is “entirely reinvested in the restoration of the castle,” presenting the building not only as a private residence, but also as a project for the preservation of French historical heritage.
In short, until now the castle has been preserved as a historical monument that has survived wars, revolutions and four centuries of French history. It is precisely such a property that appears today in the Albanian file of the AKSHI.
Ermal Beqiri and the AKSHI tenders
Ermal Beqiri is one of the people wanted by SPAK for the scheme of looting AKSHI tenders, along with Ergys Agas, a close friend of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Both, Beqiri and Agas, controlled an institution that circulated hundreds of millions of euros through cooperation with the director, Mirlinda Karçanaj, appointed there directly by Prime Minister Rama, after a long-standing cooperation they had, since the municipality of Tirana.
According to the Special Prosecution Office, Ermal Beqiri is being investigated for a series of serious criminal offenses, including: structured criminal group; money laundering; active corruption of persons exercising public functions; violation of equality in tenders; illegal competition through violence; illegal deprivation of liberty.
He was sentenced to “prison arrest” in December 2025, and was later placed on the international wanted list with an Interpol Red Notice.
According to the official SPAK announcement, the French judicial police have identified not only his location, but also a series of financial assets and real estate in France.
The arrest occurred on July 24, 2026, after Beqiri entered the restricted airspace of the Penly nuclear power plant in Normandy with a light aircraft and was forced to land at the Albert aerodrome.
The French court decided to keep him in custody for extradition purposes to Albania.
At the same time, French authorities conducted searches in the premises linked to him and seized materials that, according to SPAK, “are considered of interest for criminal proceedings.” Meanwhile, financial investigations continue for the seizure of assets identified in French territory. /Lapsi.al