Tailor-made laws and privileges for those close to power/ Jorida Tabaku’s denunciation: The Investment Corporation, a state-owned company that takes over…

Democratic Party MP Jorida Tabaku has criticized the way the government administers public property, calling for agreements on their development to be made public and for citizens to be informed about the concrete benefits the state receives from these projects.

Tabaku raised a number of questions about how the value of public property is determined, how beneficiaries are selected and who is responsible for the terms of the agreements.

“Therefore, I have a direct request for the prime minister: open these agreements to the Albanian public. Publish the property valuation. Publish the alternatives that were considered. Publish the terms and obligations. Identify the ultimate beneficiaries,” Tabaku declared.

A significant part of Tabaku’s criticism concerns the Albanian Investment Corporation, which may take over the administration of properties from central and local institutions for the implementation of investment projects.

“The Albanian Investment Corporation is at the center of this concern. A state-owned company, created by law, which may take properties from central and local institutions for investment projects. Think for a moment about the power this gives it. A property that until yesterday was administered by a public institution may be transferred to the Corporation. It is then included in a development project. A partner is selected. The terms are negotiated. What each party receives is determined. At each of these stages, decisions are being made about your property. Therefore, I have a direct request for the prime minister: open these agreements to the Albanian public. Publish the property valuation. Publish the alternatives that were considered. Publish the terms and obligations. Identify the ultimate beneficiaries. And explain, in figures, what the public gains. Anyone so convinced that they are making the best agreement for Albania should be willing to prove it. Because here we have concrete reasons to demand accountability. The Supreme State Audit has audited the Corporation. It has identified shortcomings in planning, a lack of standardized methodologies for projects and a lack of detailed analyses of risks and benefits,” Tabaku said.

Statement:

Today I want to talk to you about your property.

About public land. About the space between apartment buildings. About assets that have great value precisely because they belong to all Albanians.

Who decides about them? Who sets their price? Who chooses the beneficiary? And who accounts to you?

Remember these questions whenever the government presents you with a new project.

Because the project may look attractive on screen. But the agreement behind it may determine the fate of public property for decades.

And that is where we must focus our attention.

On the agreement. On the property. On the beneficiary.

The Albanian Investment Corporation is at the center of this concern.

A state-owned company, created by law, which may take properties from central and local institutions for investment projects.

Think for a moment about the power this gives it.

A property that until yesterday was administered by a public institution may be transferred to the Corporation. It is then included in a development project. A partner is selected. The terms are negotiated. What each party receives is determined.

At each of these stages, decisions are being made about your property.

Therefore, I have a direct request for the prime minister: open these agreements to the Albanian public.

Publish the property valuation. Publish the alternatives that were considered. Publish the terms and obligations. Identify the ultimate beneficiaries.

And explain, in figures, what the public gains.

Anyone so convinced that they are making the best agreement for Albania should be willing to prove it.

Because here we have concrete reasons to demand accountability.

The Supreme State Audit has audited the Corporation. It has identified shortcomings in planning, a lack of standardized methodologies for projects and a lack of detailed analyses of risks and benefits.

The report issued 27 recommendations.

These are findings by the state auditing institution.

And the question for the government is clear: which of them have you implemented?

For each recommendation, state the measure taken, the deadline and the person responsible.

Because before you commit another public property, you must prove that you have corrected the identified shortcomings.

Albanians cannot be asked for unconditional trust. Trust is earned by being accountable.

Let us take the example of the Zyber Hallulli Children’s Home.

This is a highly valuable property in Tirana. It is important for sport, the city and the community.

Therefore, the agreement must pass a very simple test: is this the best use of this asset for citizens?

How much has the land been valued at? What does the private partner receive? What does the state receive? What sports facilities are guaranteed? Who will cover the costs of the surrounding infrastructure?

The answers must be set out in documents and guaranteed in the contract.

Citizens have the right to know what will remain for them after the presentation ends, after the cameras leave and after construction begins.

Because public property also has a value that is not measured only by the sale price or the size of the construction area.

It may be a neighborhood’s last opportunity for a school. It may be a space where children play sports. It may be the site of a service the city will need tomorrow.

When you make decisions about that property, you are also deciding about these possibilities.

And the responsibility is yours, prime minister.

But the concern extends beyond the Corporation.

Look at the instruments created over the years for property and territorial development: strategic investments, the Mountain Package and special development procedures.

Each has its own rules. Each is presented with a promise for the economy.

But the same calculation must be made for each one: what does the state give and what does society receive?

The law on strategic investments provides special procedures and support for projects granted this status.

Then publish the results.

For every project, state the obligations undertaken and the obligations fulfilled. State what support was provided. State what measures were taken when promises remained on paper.

The assistance provided by the state carries a cost and a responsibility.

No one should receive the benefits of the status while avoiding the obligations that come with it.

Then there is the Mountain Package.

A procedure which, when the legal conditions are met, may lead to the purchase of property for one euro after approval of the development permit.

One euro.

Precisely because the price is symbolic, oversight of the right to benefit must be very strong.

Who verifies ownership? How are the claims of owners handled? How is the family living abroad protected if it may not learn in time about a procedure affecting its property?

Here, the state must guarantee people’s rights to the end.

A fast procedure without effective protection of property rights may produce an injustice that lasts for generations.

This is the risk I see: the creation of privileged paths for those who have money, influence and proximity to decision-makers.

This is also where answers must be sought regarding tailor-made laws.

In my view, a law is tailor-made when the rules are adapted around the interests of a beneficiary and the public interest is used as a justification.

This is the political test we must apply to every initiative: whom does it clear a path for, and whom does it leave unprotected?

Territorial reform must also be viewed through this test.

Changing boundaries affects the institutions that administer the territory, represent residents and make decisions about development.

Therefore, we demand to know what power communities will have over decisions affecting their land.

The farther decision-making moves away from residents, the stronger the guarantee must be that their voices will be heard.

A small village has rights. A neighborhood has rights. A property owner has rights.

These rights must be protected even in the face of the largest project and the most powerful investor.

Therefore, my demand is concrete: transparency for properties, competition for projects and accountability for agreements.

For every public asset, state its value.

For every legal concession, state the reason.

For every beneficiary, state the obligations.

And for every broken promise, state who is responsible.

Albania’s assets are greater than the mandate of any government. The decisions you make today will either be paid for or enjoyed by our children as well.

Therefore, accountability for this will be demanded to the very end.

The property belongs to the Albanians. You owe the answers to the Albanians.