“Ansar” case, MP Balla wins trial against Argita Berisha

10/03/2016 00:00

The Tirana Court of Appeal rejected the First Instance Court decision
and finding MP Taulant Balla not guilty for slander, after he was sued
by the daughter of the former Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, after he had
accused her and her legal office of demanding 3% of an investment that
was to be done by foreign businessman, Zafar Ansar.

The First Instance Court ruled in favor of Argita Berisha, but MP Taulant Balla challenged the verdict at the Court of Appeal, and his accusations were confirmed by Ansar himself on an interview for Top Channel on January 23rd, 2013, a few months before the elections. Ansar said he had met Argita Berisha through the Albanian ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

“I informed her that I planned building a 12 MW Thermal Power Station. The Prime Minister was happy to hear about this project and said he would do everything possible so that I could cooperate with the best people in Albania. I thanked him and told him it would be my pleasure”, Ansar said.
Mr.Ansar declared on Top Channel that the person who met him for the cooperation in Albania was Berisha’s daughter:
“Argita (PM Berisha’s daughter) offered me her legal services and I agreed to cooperate with her. She sent me an agreement to make sure about her payment for the legal services, in which she wanted a 3% success fee. I didn’t sign the agreement because I saw it as bribe”, Ansar added.

Ansar said for Top Channel that after refusing the payment, he was told that he would not receive the permit for the Thermal Power Station.

“The only reason I could think of why this happened, was because I didn’t buy the land with the overcharged price. I would have not bought that land, even if I had received the permit, because it was not good enough to build on it. I was not happy that I couldn’t realize this 100 million EUR investment”, Ansar said.

One year later, Top Channel held another interview with the investor, who said he was ready to testify in the process. Argita Berisha had said that Ansar’s declarations were just a ticket to start businesses with Rama.

“This is the story of a businessman who wants to take from Rama, today a Prime Minister, the right to make business with him. He offered a politically motivated interview as entrance ticket. The businessman was asked by another legal firm to pay for the legal service. The only bill sent to him by me was for the work made by a group of experts, mounting up to 8000, which he didn’t pay”, Argita Berisha declared.

Top Channel