US ambassador to Albania, Yuri Kim, arrived this Thursday morning at the Central Elections Commission (CEC), where she met with the State Election Commissioner, Ilirian Celibashi. 

Based on the information at hand that the ambassador to the CEC has gone to DASH's report on Russian money in Albanian parties. 

In the meeting were also called: Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (SP), Damian Gjiknuri; Former Chairwoman of Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), Monika Kryemadhi and MP of the Democratic Party (DP), Jorida Tabaku. 

Earlier, it was revealed that Russia has secretly given over USD 300 million to political parties and candidates in dozens of countries since 2014 and President Putin has engaged in covert political financing around the world, according to a senior US official. 

According to the official who spoke to the media, this is the conclusion reached by a report by the US intelligence community which analyzed Russia's funding "in more than 24 countries over the past few years in an effort to manipulate democracies from within". 

According to a source with knowledge of the US intelligence report, Albania is one of these countries. 

"In Albania, Russia gave about half a million dollars to the Democratic Party in 2017 through shell companies," the US government source said. 

The source did not provide further details on the case of Albania. But the year 2017, the name of the Democratic Party and the mentioned figure of 500 thousand dollars coincide with the investigations that were opened in Albania at that time against the DP based on the statements that the American lobbying firm 'Muzin Capitol Partners' reported that it received from the DP here. 

The American lobbying firm had declared in 2018 to the US Department of Justice that it had received a total of three payments, in the amount of 675 thousand USD, for its work in favor of the Democratic Party in 2017. 

The first payment is dated March 24, 2017 and was made by the firm "Biniatta Trade LP", with a value of 150 thousand dollars, the other two payments, according to the statement, were made by the Democratic Party, one on March 27, for 25 thousand dollars, and the other on June 9 for $500,000. 

In a long investigative article about these payments to Muzin Capitol, the American magazine Mother Jones raised suspicions that after part of the payments made by the company "Biniatta Trade LP" based in Scotland, for lobbying activities in favor of the DP before the elections of 2016 in Albania, there were Russian businessmen. 

The former chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Bashi, has denied the claim of the USA, according to which the Democratic Party was financed by Russia. 

Through a post on Twitter, Basha emphasizes that PD has never received any foreign funding, much less from a Russian source. 

"Democratic Party has never received any foreign funding, much less from a Russian source. When such allegations were circulated in some media, the Democratic Party formally asked the judiciary to investigate these allegations and fully cooperated with the judiciary, which rejected any claims of foreign funding. We are proud of the steadfast partnership with our strategic ally, the USA, and determined to move forward alongside our Euro-Atlantic allies for the consolidation of Western values ??and the full integration of Albania into the EU," tweeted Basha earlier on.