Luxury villa in Palasë suspected of belonging to Belinda Balluku, Klodiana Lala: Personal email and financing by Arbër Abazi brought it to light

The Special Prosecution Office’s (SPAK) investigation file on former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku has revealed new information about a luxury villa in Palasë, which is suspected of being her hidden property. Journalist Klodiana Lala explained on News24’s “This Week,” hosted by Nisida Tufa, how investigators tracked down the property.

Lala recalled that searches conducted by SPAK in the Palasë area had been reported in late July and the first days of August. Checks were also carried out at architects’ offices and the premises of several companies in the country, amid strong suspicions that the villa may belong to Balluku, the former deputy prime minister and former minister of Infrastructure and Energy.

According to the journalist, the most significant piece of evidence linking Balluku to the property is an email sent by architect Alban Eftimi of Atelier 4 to her personal email address. In the message, previously published by News24, the architect showed her what the villa would look like upon completion, the expensive materials that were expected to be used, and the level of comfort. A highly luxurious hotel in Greece was also cited as a reference point.

The email included an 11-page document presenting the entire design of the luxury villa and what it would look like once construction was completed.

Klodiana Lala also provided details about the suspected financing scheme for the villa’s construction and furnishing, in which former footballer Igli Tare and businessman Arbër Abazi are mentioned. According to SPAK’s findings, the first part of the villa, up to the structural shell stage, was paid for by Tare, while the subsequent costs of continuing construction and furnishing the property were covered by Abazi.

Arbër Abazi owns Alco Impex General Construction, a company that was awarded numerous tenders by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy while the institution was headed by Balluku.

In the case involving the villa, Abazi’s company, as part of a consortium of economic operators, won one of the lots for Tirana’s Grand Ring Road, worth 22-23 million euros. According to SPAK, in exchange for this tender, Abazi is suspected of having paid the costs for the remainder of the villa’s construction, ranging from 288,000 to 410,000 euros.

Lorela Reçi, Arbër Abazi’s partner, also appears in communications concerning the work. She communicated with the construction company Green Coast about sending its subcontractors, as well as her architect, Mr. Xhelila.

Lala emphasized that, apart from Alban Eftimi’s email, Balluku’s name was avoided throughout the rest of the case file, with the confidential designation “specific client” used instead. Those overseeing the construction and furnishing were extremely guarded in their communications, while all invoices issued by the various companies were passed on to Arbër Abazi’s company.