SPAK toughens the charges against Ergys Agas. The man considered Prime Minister Edi Rama's eminence grise was placed under "prison arrest" by the Special Court, after a marathon hearing, during which he learned that a new charge has been added against him, that of passive corruption.
During the closed-door session, there were strong debates between the parties. Prosecutor Bledar Maksuti requested that the arrest measure, taken in absentia, be left in force because, among other things, there is a risk that Ergys Agasi will flee, evading justice and thus be able to influence witnesses or destroy evidence.
The hearing was interrupted twice; the first time for the lawyer to familiarize himself with the file documents, and the second time for the court to evaluate the lawyer's requests for evidence. In the end, the GJKKO left in force the measure of arrest in prison for the man who spent eight months on the run, only to end up in handcuffs just two days ago at Plepat in Durrës.
Upon leaving the courthouse, lawyer Maksim Haxhiaj confirmed that the prosecution has added the corruption charge to Agas, while claiming that none of the other charges are true.
"We are asking the prosecution to present us with evidence of corruption. These are measures that the prosecutor takes to ensure his own process, to avoid failure," said the lawyer, trying to put into perspective SPAK's new accusation against Agas.
Asked about the videos recorded by Agasi himself in his office, the lawyer said that "it does not constitute a criminal offense when a respected person meets another person."
When asked about the relationship between Agas and Mirlinda Karçanaj, former director of AKSHI, Haxhiaj replied: "You should ask her!".
When asked where Agasi has been during these months, the lawyer replied: "That's not even a question for me!"
Agasi was arrested after eight months on the run in the company of former State Police official Ulian Shpataraku. He is accused by SPAK of being the head of a criminal group operating within the National Agency for the Information Society.
SPAK says that Agasi and Ermal Beqiri ordered the kidnapping of businessmen in order to force them, under threat and violence, to withdraw from AKSHI tenders.
The same file also investigates the former director of AKSHI, Mirlinda Karçanaj, Ermal Beqiri, considered by SPAK to be an associate of Agas, as well as other persons suspected of their role in the scheme that, according to the prosecution, operated through pressure on businessmen and interference in public tenders.
