Among the green hills of Mullet, about 13 kilometers from the center of Tirana, "Equos Resort" advertises luxury services, including a riding club, horseback riding, or water sports for the hot seasons of the year.
But the most valuable collection was hidden in a pantry inside the resort.
Following the announcement of Ergys Agast's wanted list on charges of creating a structured criminal group with the aim of manipulating tenders of the National Agency for the Information Society, AKSHI, officers of the National Bureau of Investigation seized an expensive collection of 900 bottles of exclusive brand wine in a 2-story villa within the resort, identified as Agast's property.
But the wine collection disappeared in an unprecedented manner, after it was blocked by BKH officers and the Customs Investigation Directorate.
A source familiar with the investigation told BIRN that part of the wine collection owned by Agas dates back almost a century, with waxed corks from 1922, 1923 and 1940, all with certificates of origin. The collection originated in France and Italy and was smuggled into Albania.
According to SPAK, the collection was discovered during checks for the execution of the security measure "prison arrest" against Ergys Agas, issued by the Special Court on December 15. BKH investigators nevertheless assessed that the wine collection did not fall within the subject matter competence of the Special Structure and notified the Customs Investigation Directorate at the General Directorate of Customs to carry out the relevant procedures for smuggled goods.
"We have followed the practice of similar cases, as when a suspected criminal offense is found that is not within the competence of the Special Structure, the competent institutions are notified for further actions," said a SPAK source on condition of anonymity.
The Customs Investigation Directorate conducted an inventory and concluded that Agas's wine collection was worth around 1 million euros, while the evasion of customs duties amounted to around 300 thousand euros. Based on the assessment according to reference and market prices, it was concluded that there were bottles of wine that exceeded the value of 30 thousand euros, while the cheapest was valued at around 350 euros.
After conducting the inventory, the Customs Investigation Directorate did not transport the collection to the customs warehouses, claiming that they did not have space for food products. While waiting for space to be found, they kept a record of the goods being blocked, which was signed by Agasi's uncle, Eno Agasi, and left.
When they returned the next day to retrieve the wine, Customs Investigation officers found the cellar empty. Customs referred the case to the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, where the 900 bottles of wine had disappeared without a trace.
When asked by BIRN, the director of Customs Investigation, Dorian Doka, avoided commenting on responsibilities, saying that the matter is under investigation.
The Tirana Prosecution Office has registered criminal proceedings for four criminal offenses against Eno Agas, while the court has sentenced him to “prison arrest” in absentia. He is being investigated for “Actions that hinder the discovery of the truth”; “Smuggling of goods for which excise duty is paid or with full or partial suspension of customs or excise duties”; “Storage or deposit of contraband goods”; “Laundering of the proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity”.
According to the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, the disappearance of the wine was well-organized, as the investigation revealed that the perpetrators took care to remove all traces. The perpetrators also removed all the security cameras located at the "Equos Resort" as well as those connecting the resort to the Tirana-Elbasan highway.
Ergys Agas's 1 million euro wine collection is considered an investment by investigators.
"It was not owned for consumption, but was a collection created for investment, as its value increases. It may also have been used in place of foreign exchange," said a source close to the investigation.
According to the Tirana Prosecution Office, following the investigations and new evidence that will be found, it will be assessed whether the case will be concluded there, or will be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Special Prosecution Office./ Reporter.al
