The Democratic Party has exposed the scheme how the brothers of Premier Edi Rama and Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj, respectively Olsi Rama and Agron Xhafaj, are laundering money and make profits from the gambling business.

Democrat MPs Jorida Tabaku said “Rama and Xhafaj have used their politic power to profit and launder drugs and crime money through the gambling business”.

“The two most powerful men in the country have offered corruptive possibilities and politic protection for their brothers, Olsi Rama and Agron Xhafaj in the gambling business”.

“Fatmir Xhafaj, in the capacity of the chairman of the parliamentary Committee of Laws, in 2015 blocked the law for the closure of gambling businesses in the countries cities, forcing out of the market successful and honest businessmen to concentrate the business only in a couple of hands. The gambling businesses not only did not close but they multiplied under the pressure of the then-chairman of the Committee of Laws”.

“Fatmir Xhafaj blocked the bill for eight months, until they reached an agreement on sharing the gambling market. The bill was introduced to the Committee in April 2015, Xhafaj blocked it till November of the same year, making it the longest-standing bill ever in the parliamentary committees. Neither the bill of law on property, nor those of pensions, state budget, educations or constitutional modifications for the Judiciary Reform have taken eight months from their introduction to the approval in principle”.

“The secret talks between Xhafaj and the then-Minister of Finances produced the biggest changes (of the bill) that favour the gambling business: the distance of business shops from schools was reduced from 200 to 100 meters; the taxation was reduced from 23% on gross income to 15% on net income. It’s a fact that the support of Rama and Xhafaj has multiplied the sports betting shops fourfold, from 920 to 4200”.

“Today in Tirana there are more betting shops and casinos than grocery stores and bookshops. Most of them are linked to the Mafioso clan Xhafaj”.