The security measure of “Remand in Custody” was imposed on the persons under investigation Dilaver Shyti., Arben Voja, Fjorelo Bida and Anila Haxhiu, at the request of Fier Prosecution Office. In addition, the personal security measures of “Prohibition from Leaving the Country” and “Obligation to Report to the Judicial Police”, as provided for under Articles 233 and 234 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, respectively, were imposed on the person under investigation A.J., who is suspected of committing the criminal offences of “Fraud”, “Forgery of Documents”, “Abuse of Office” and “Money Laundering”, as provided for under Articles 143, 186, 248 and 287 of the Criminal Code, respectively.

The investigation into criminal proceeding No. 1730, dated 29 September 2026, registered following a complaint by citizen A.P. and referred by Fier Local Police Directorate, concerns allegations that a plot of arable land in the village of Povelçë, Fier, was transferred to the ownership of his family without his knowledge or consent. Based on the evidence gathered so far, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a 44,100 m² plot of land, classified as “Arable Land” and registered in the Parcel Register as state-owned property, was transferred to private ownership through a series of documents containing false information.

Specifically, the transfer of ownership is suspected to have been executed using a certificate of ownership issued in 2007, which there are reasonable grounds, supported by evidence, to suspect is forged; a property record card that contains no reference to any ownership title and bears physical alterations, handwritten entries and erasures; and two notarized powers of attorney stating that the represented parties appeared in person before the notary, whereas their signatures had actually been obtained on blank sheets of paper, before any text had been entered. Furthermore, one of the represented parties was outside the territory of the Republic of Albania on the date the power of attorney was drawn up.

The suspected modus operandi involved registering state-owned land in the name of citizen A.P. by using the registration details of another property already registered in his name.

Citizen A.P. had been issued an Act of Acquisition of Land Ownership (AMTP) covering a total area of 25,800 m², comprising several plots of land. In 2007, he was issued a certificate of ownership for one of these plots, measuring 4,000 m². It was precisely the registration details of this property, together with the date on which the ownership certificate had been issued, that were used to register a separate plot of land, measuring 44,100 m², in the cadastral records as belonging to citizen A.P. This was done even though no ownership title had ever been issued in his name for the 44,100 m² plot and that the registration file contained no application for its registration.
The updated property record card and the cadastral map extract were issued by Fier Local Directorate of the State Cadastral Agency on 25 January 2023, five days before the sale agreement was concluded. In this way, the state-owned property was presented as privately owned by the family of citizen A.P., with the aim of subsequently transferring its ownership to others.
After being registered in the name of citizen A.P., the property was transferred to third parties, who purchased it for the purpose of constructing a photovoltaic park. According to the evidence gathered, the person under investigation D.Sh., acting as the authorized representative of the “seller’s” family under a power of attorney, found the buyer, set the sale price, and signed the contract on behalf of the sellers, without their knowledge.
Under the sale agreement dated 30 January 2023, the property was sold for EUR 88,200, although this amount is suspected not to reflect its actual sale value. The payment was deposited into the authorised representative's bank account under the power of attorney and was never handed over to the sellers.
The transfer of ownership was registered with  Fier Local Directorate of the State Cadastre Agency on 14 February 2023, without the mandatory checks required under Law No. 111/2018 “On Cadastre” being conducted to verify the ownership title and whether the sellers were the same persons as those recorded as owners in the property record card. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that, after the criminal complaint had been filed, the person under investigation D.Sh. handed the injured parties EUR 15,000 in cash in an attempt to persuade them to withdraw their complaint.
The search of the residence of the person under investigation, A.V. in Fier, led to the discovery of seven envelopes containing cash, bearing various names and inscriptions, inside one of his locked drawers. The total amount of money seized was EUR 31,720, ALL 608,000, NOK 5,000 and CAD 1,400. In the same room, 46 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and 55 shotgun cartridges were also found and seized.
In light of these circumstances, the evidence collected supports the reasonable suspicion that the persons under investigation have committed the following criminal offences:
Citizen D.Sh., a former Head of the Administrative Unit, acting as the authorized representative of the seller’s family under a power of attorney, is suspected of committing the criminal offences of “Fraud with serious consequences”, “Falsification of documents”, committed in complicity, and “Laundering the Proceeds of a Crime or Criminal Activity”, under Articles 143(3), 186(2), 287(1) and 25 of the Criminal Code.
Citizen A.V., serving as Director of the Fier Local Directorate of the State Cadastral Agency at the time of the alleged offences, is suspected of committing the criminal offences of “Falsification of documents” by a person entrusted with the task of issuing documents, and “Abuse of Office”, in complicity with others, as provided for in Articles 186(3), 248 and 25 of the Criminal Code.
Citizen F.B., serving as a legal specialist at Fier Local Directorate of the State Cadastral Agency, is suspected of committing the criminal offences of “Falsification of Documents” and “Abuse of Office”, in complicity with others, as provided for in Articles 186(2), 248 and 25 of the Criminal Code.
Citizen A.H., a notary whose office is located in Fier, is suspected of committing the criminal offence of “Forgery of Documents” by a person entrusted with the task of issuing documents, in complicity with others, as provided for in Articles 186(3) and 25 of the Criminal Code.
Citizen A.J., serving as a cartographic specialist at Fier Local Directorate of the State Cadastral Agency, is suspected of committing the criminal offence of “Abuse of Office”, in complicity with others, as provided for in Articles 248 and 25 of the Criminal Code.
The investigations have also unveiled suspicions that other state-owned properties may have been transferred through the same modus operandi. Investigative actions are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the case, identify all persons involved, and determine their criminal liability.