History of attacks against Top Channel

This series of attacks started years ago, with a hidden, rushed and suspicious decision taken by the former Minister of Economy, Genc Ruli, on his last day in office.

Top Channel’s lease agreement with the Ministry of Economy was signed on 15 March 2005.

Article 3 of the agreement sets the lease for 20 years, but on 11 September 2009, Minister Genc Ruli announced to Top Channel that the agreement was cancelled.

Ruli’s unilateral decision to close the agreement was taken on 11 September, on the day when he was decreed Minister of Agriculture. Ruli says on his letter that the property where these premises are situated is now privatized.  

Minister Ruli lists a series of laws on which the Ministry referred to for closing the agreement, but it says nothing about the legal agreements between the Ministry and Top Channel, which the latter has not only respected rigorously, but has also surpassed them with the investment plans.

According to the agreement, Top Channel had surpassed the employment terms with five times and the investment plan with 2.5 times, turning the then ruined “Albania Today” exhibition building into a display of culture and art of the future.

All these investments have been officially declared at the Ministry of Economy, which Genc Ruli left on the day when they officially announced the unilateral closing of the agreement.

In two years, Top Channel and the Ministry of Economy have exchanged an official correspondence about the privatization procedure, started by a request of Top Channel and not as an obligation of the Ministry.

With this official document of 9 December 2008, Top Channel asked information about the privatization progress, but they only met with the Minister’s silence.

The information request made by Top Channel to the Ministry of Economy was repeated on March 3rd 2009, in which Top Channel asks information about the privatization progress of the object, and how the investment made by Top Channel in the privatization process was taken in consideration.

The answer given on 19 March 2009, signed by the then General Director of Commercial Services, Mimoza Vokshi, the Ministry did not give any information about the privatization progress, but kept asking Top Channel to realize the employment indicators and investment plans for 2008, without notifying that the agreement would be interrupted, as it happened very abruptly a few months later, when Top Channel was ordered to leave the premises.

Top Channel has never asked law violations, but equal rights between all parties. The investment conditions foreseen on the leasing agreement with the Ministry were surpassed by Top Channel with 2.5 times and employment ones by 5 times, facts which are documented in Ruli’s Ministry and which prove the rigorous implementation of the agreement by Top Channel.

For as long that Top Channel has respected every article of the agreement and the law, this media has only expected the same thing from the government.

But Minister Ruli and this government never respected these obligations. They started an unprecedented political action which only aims to damage this media outlet. Based on these violations, Top Channel was obliged to seek justice in a legal way.

Top Channel faced with a harsh reality during these years of trials, at least in the last four years, not only for the premises where Top Channel conducts its activities. Another bitter reality was the one that Top Channel faced with the judiciary system, which has taken only politically motivated decisions.

There are also other flagrant cases, besides the premises case, such as the “Pango” case, when Top Channel was fined with 400.000 EUR, a decision that was mentioned in every international report about judicial system in Albania.

A system which is highly influenced by the government leaders and their financial interests shows once again the harsh reality that every Albanian faces in front of the Court.

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