The Scandal Behind the 110 Million Euro Loss Against Francesco Becchetti

After Albania lost the lawsuit against the Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti, over the compensation he demanded for the closure of Agon Channel Tv in 2015,  other details have emerged from the process, which shows the clear pressure that the government made back in time against Becchetti. MCN TV reported that in early 2014, while Becchetti was under investigation for money laundering, a government representative explicitly told Mr Becchetti that he had to talk to one of his competitors if he wanted to understand why his investments were under investigation, and that it was not a good idea to oppose the state. "Criminal investigations against the companies of Mr. Becchetti were started by a government that was close to its competitors […] against a station that was critical of the government," the ruling said.

According to MCN TV, the International Arbitration Court found it easy to rule that the expropriation of Agon Channel had political motives, considering the public statements of Prime Minister Edi Rama. "As soon as the confiscation decisions were issued, Prime Minister Edi Rama declared that his fight against investors as a plaintiff had been a success and went further by threatening the judiciary that in one way or another they were implicated in the violations of these investors," the court said.

Since the Voice of America reported last week the finalization of the Becchetti's process, the reaction from the opposition and the public opinion has been strong. The leader of the opposition Lulzim Basha declared that once in power, his government will confiscate the assets of corrupt politicians, to pay Becchetti's 110m-euro fine. "110 million euros […]  It will not be paid from the state budget, but we will confiscate all the property of the corrupt rulers and their partners,” said Basha. Meanwhile, the former Minister of Justice Ylli Manjani requested from the Special Anti-Corruption Structure to start an investigation against Rama. “The SPAK was created with supernatural powers, precisely to intervene in cases like this. To grip the Prime Minister, ministers or officials in office,” wrote Manjani.

Prime Minister Rama reacted to the news by saying that "the joy of Ilir Meta and Luli and his party for the unfair arbitration decision in favor of an individual required by the Albanian justice is both disgusting and premature," adding that "Albania has won three of the four international lawsuits against this wrongdoer and the battle continues".