Lajme flash
Ilir Shtufi opens "Pandora's Box", how businessmen connected to the Berisha family flourished with Rama
2026-08-20 19:06:00 / POLITIKË
Ilir Shtufi's latest clash with Edi Rama opens a broader debate: as businessmen known for their ties to the Berisha family, they have continued to obtain permits and major projects even during the socialist government. From Fatmir Bektashi to Shkëlqim Beshiri, business interests seem to have long crossed the dividing line between the majority and the opposition.
Ilir Shtufi may be the case that most clearly shows that the political war between Edi Rama and Sali Berisha has not prevented business people close to the Berisha family from thriving economically during the socialist government.
Shtufi is currently under indictment by SPAK for money laundering and organized criminal group. His companies are suspected of being used to integrate drug money into construction. At the same time, his connection to the Berisha family has not been a secret: Shkëlzen Berisha lives in a rented villa of Shtufi in “Rolling Hills”.
But Shtufi was not a businessman excluded from the Rama government's permit and investment system. On the contrary, during the years of socialist rule, his companies were involved in some of the largest construction projects in Tirana and on the coast.
And just when the relationship seems to have broken down, Shtufi has also changed his language.
Arrested in Greece on behalf of Albanian justice, he has claimed before the Greek authorities that the case against him has a political background and has pointed the finger at Edi Rama. This clash raises a question that goes beyond Shtufi himself: what happens when the balance of interests between the government and businessmen who have historically been identified with the opposing camp is disrupted?
Because Shtufi is not an isolated case.
Another name is Fatmir Bektashi, a construction businessman and partner of Jamarbër Malltezi, Sali Berisha's son-in-law. Their connection is not just a product of media reports. Bektashi and Malltezi were business partners and both were taken into custody by SPAK in the former "Partizani" complex case.
However, this history has not prevented Bektashi from continuing to expand in construction during the Rama administration. His company "Kontakt" has obtained permits for numerous projects, while in March alone "Pamphlet" identified 12 complexes related to Bektashi and Malltez, developed with permits granted during this administration.
So, while Rama and Berisha clash publicly every day, the business partner of Berisha's son-in-law continues to receive permission from institutions controlled by the socialist majority.
Then comes Shkelqim Beshiri. His name has also been swirling in the media for years for its connection to Shkelzen Berisha. The company "KLAR", linked to Beshiri, is involved in very large construction projects, including the tower complex in the New Boulevard area in Tirana.
But Beshiri also appears in another, much more symbolic project: the transformation of the Palace of Congresses area, where the winning consortium also includes “KLAR.” The project envisages, in addition to intervention in the complex, new construction development in one of the most expensive areas of Tirana.
Bashkim Ulaj is not left behind either. While Berisha was in power, he benefited endlessly from tenders, permits and benefits. And as a sign of goodwill, he donated to Berisha the office he still holds today at "Aba Center". But even today, Bashkim Ulaj continues to 'thrive'. In addition to the Thumanë-Kashar road, Ram has flooded it with building permits. The most flagrant case is in Rrjoll where Rama has even taken the businessman under his protection.
So we have a recurring political paradox.
Fatmir Bektashi is a documented partner of Jamarbër Malltez, but his business continues to receive permits during the Rama government.
Shkelqim Beshiri has been repeatedly reported as a businessman close to Shkelzen Berisha, but companies linked to him appear in strategic construction projects approved during the Rama era.
Ulaj is known everywhere as the businessman close to Berisha, but he still receives concessions and building permits.
Ilir Shtufi, whose villa Shkëlzen Berisha admitted to renting, built and designed some of Tirana's largest buildings during the same period. Today, after SPAK has included him in one of the most serious money laundering files, Shtufi is leading the political accusation precisely from Rama.
Here the political question also arises.
Has Edi Rama, during his 13 years in power, created a system of economic interests that has brought not only businessmen traditionally close to the left, but also part of the Berisha family's economic circle closer?
If so, then the government-opposition relationship becomes much more complex than the clashes seen in Parliament and on television screens.
Because one thing is political rhetoric and another is the map of building permits, towers, resorts, and investments.
On this map, the border between "Rama's" people and "Berisha's" people becomes much more blurred.
And the Shtufi case may also show the other side of this mechanism: as long as interests prevail, politics remains in the background; when the balance is disrupted, war begins and accusations arise.
Shtufi today says that Rama is hitting him. But before this clash erupted, his businesses and projects were developed for years under the same government.
This is why his story is not just a SPAK story. It is also a window into the invisible relationship between power, opposition, and business, where political battles can be fierce in public, while economic interests have often been able to find common ground. / Pamphlet
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