I am Rama’s adviser”/ The scheme: How a 45-year-old woman defrauded earthquake-affected families

A few days ago, Tirana Police arrested 45-year-old Ina Cakaj, who is suspected of taking considerable sums of money from families affected by the 2019 earthquake, promising to help them obtain new homes or compensation.

The case now also focuses on a video recording obtained by JOQ Albania, in which Cakaj is seen introducing herself to several residents in Fushë-Krujë as an “adviser” to a project that, according to her, had been set up by Prime Minister Edi Rama for families still waiting to receive the keys to apartments promised after the earthquake.

In the video, the 45-year-old woman is heard telling residents that if they paid 2 million lekë and submitted the documents she requested, within 24 hours they would receive a message from the Council of Ministers approving the handover of the apartment keys.

According to the recording obtained by JOQ Albania, Cakaj introduced herself to residents as the person responsible for the Fushë-Krujë area and claimed that she had been tasked with finding 20 families that would benefit from the project she presented as “La Mama.”

According to the police investigation, her claims turned out to be part of a suspected fraud scheme.

According to the investigation, Cakaj allegedly presented herself as someone with connections and influence within the state administration, creating the impression among citizens that she had the ability to intervene in procedures for obtaining housing or assistance for families affected by the earthquake.

In exchange for the alleged intervention, she is suspected of requesting sums ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 euros per person.

At this stage of the investigation, around 30 citizens in the Fushë-Krujë area are suspected of having fallen victim to the scheme, while the financial damage caused is estimated at around 60 million old lekë.

During the investigative actions, police seized documents and family certificates belonging to people suspected of having been involved in the scheme.

The procedural materials against the 45-year-old woman have been referred for the criminal offenses of “Fraud,” “Forgery of documents,” and “Usurpation of a state title or duty.”