Twelve individuals, including two chief inspectors, inspectors from the National Inspectorate of Territorial Defense (NITD), police employees, and other defendants, were convicted following the Lushnja Prosecution Office's request for permitting 37 illegal constructions over an 18-month period within the jurisdiction of Lushnje Municipality.

On April 28, 2023, the Former Lushnja Prosecution Office submitted to the Court the request for the trial of criminal case no. 315, year 2019, against 12 defendants. Subsequently, four additional cases, two from 2021 and two from 2022, were merged with this case as part of the ongoing investigations.Top of Form

After thorough investigation and trial proceedings, it was found that between April and August 2019, and again from January 2021 to March 2022, a total of 37 unauthorized constructions were built within the administrative boundaries of Lushnje Municipality. These constructions were either left unaddressed by the chief inspector and inspectors of the Local Territorial Defense Inspectorate or were acted upon by them after being notified of the investigation's initiation by law enforcement authorities, so as to evade from prosecution. Among these illicit constructions, 31 belong to the period of January 2021 to March 2022, with the remaining 6 taking place between April and August 2019.

Concretely, it has been found that in 25 cases of illegal constructions, there have been no records of findings, fines, or decisions for the demolition of illegal structures upheld by the ITD of Lushnja Municipality. Conversely, in 12 cases of illegal construction, administrative measures have been implemented by ITD of Lushnja Municipality only subsequent to being made aware of their pursuit by investigative authorities or upon information requested by the Prosecution Office regarding the same.

Within the scope of investigations employing specialized techniques, another case of corruption has been uncovered and documented, involving collaboration between two police officers, the defendants B.H. and H.T., in the role of recipients of monetary values, and two civilians, the defendants P.T. and E.Sh., in the role of providing of monetary values.

At the conclusion of the judicial review, Fier District Court, through decision No. 217 dated March 12, 2024, decided:

1.The defendant Gj.M., chief inspector of the Local Territorial Defense Inspectorate in the Municipality of Lushnja has been found guilty of the criminal offense of "Abuse of Office" in complicity. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and deprived from holding public office for a period of 3 years following the completion of his sentence.

2. The defendant K.S., inspector at the Local Territorial Defense Inspectorate in the Municipality of Lushnja has been found guilty for the criminal offense of "Abuse of Office" in complicity. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and deprived from holding any public office for a period of 3 years following the completion of his sentence.

3. The defendant I.B., chief inspector of the Local Territorial Defense Inspectorate in the Municipality of Lushnja has been found guilty for the criminal offense of "Abuse of Office" in complicity. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and deprived from holding public office for a period of 3 years following the completion of his sentence.

4. The defendant Xh.Z., inspector at the Local Territorial Defense Inspectorate in the Municipality of Lushnja has been found guilty for the criminal offense of "Abuse of Office" in complicity. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and deprived from holding any public office for a period of 3 years following the completion of his sentence.

5. The defendant B.H., a police officer, has been found guilty for the criminal offense of "Passive Corruption by Public Officials," in complicity. Sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment and deprived of the right to hold any public office for a period of 3 years following the completion of his sentence.

6. The defendant H.T., a police officer, has been found guilty for the criminal offense of "Passive Corruption by Public Officials," in complicity. Sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment and deprived of the right to hold any public office for a period of 3 years following the completion of his sentence.

7. The defendant E.Sh. has been found guilty for the criminal act of "Active Corruption by Public Officials," in complicity. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment.

8. The defendant P.T. has been found guilty for the criminal act of "Active Corruption by Public Officials," in complicity. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment.

9. The defendant S.N. has been found guilty for the criminal act of "Illicit Construction," built in their own property. Sentenced to 4 months and 15 days of imprisonment.

10. The defendant B.H. has been found guilty for the criminal act of "Illicit Construction," built in his own property. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment.

11.The defendant A.L. has been found guilty for the criminal act of "Illicit Construction," built in his own property. Sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment.

12. The defendant M.M. has been found guilty for the crime of "Illicit Construction," built in his own property. Sentenced to one year of imprisonment.