In one of Tirana's old neighborhoods, between Qemal Stafa, Hoxha Tahsin and Faik Tërnova streets, residents who are resisting rapid urban development are facing a lack of water supply, problems with sewage, noise pollution and dust from construction.
The problems began with the opening of a new road with orders for three new buildings, which have now become the subject of SPAK investigations. Citizens.al has reported earlier about the connections of these projects with the interests of the family of Ajola Xoxa, the wife of the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj.
The case has been included in the SPAK investigative file against the Veliaj-Xoxa couple, where the mayor, in this case, is suspected of having abused his office.
The three new palaces have surrounded the Çoku family, which remains determined to preserve the Tirana houses of the area, inherited from generation to generation.
The building that most infringes on the property appears to be the one built after 2022 by the company "A&G Construction" on part of Ajola Xoxa's family land.
Lindita, who lives in the United States of America and often returns to her homeland to take care of her family's property, expresses her indignation at the situation.
"Every time I come there, some problem will arise, especially since the palace has started being built there," she said in a phone conversation.
According to Lindita, during construction in 2024, an excavator ruptured the pipes, causing her house to flood and smell bad. What worries her most is the fact that her elderly parents, aged 77 and 86, are the ones who are struggling the most to meet their "basic needs."
She has knocked on the doors of institutions, but has not received a solution.
"The palace pours all the inerts there and the pipes are blocked by the inerts, Tirana Water and Sewerage (UKT) is not responding and that is why I have complained."", Lindita further explains, who considers UKT an enterprise "lazy person who doesn't take responsibility".
Another resident of one of the old 5-story buildings shows with photographs how the neighborhood has changed since the three buildings began to be built there. According to her, an alley like "Faik Tërnova" could not handle the flow of heavy machinery for three constructions at once.
Living next to new buildings that are being built every day has made life unaffordable for these residents.
"We can't open the windows because of the dust and noise, it's become unbearable," she says as she points out that the entire 5-story building has water problems due to the construction of the three buildings in question.
"Palaces don't even remove inerts, imagine more", she continues, outraged.
The case of Çoku against the Veliaj-Xoxa couple
The Çoku family accused Mayor Veliaj and his wife, Ajola Xoxa, of manipulating urban plans in favor of personal interests.
According to Lindita Çoku, after 2019, the Xoxa family began developing their properties in the area near "Qemal Stafa", "Hoxha Tahsin" and "Faik Tërnova" streets, planning the construction of two mansions.
To increase the value of the property, the Municipality of Tirana, in violation of legal procedures and without public consultation, approved at the end of 2021 a Detailed Local Plan (PDV) that envisaged the construction of a new road: "Hajdar Kërçiku" road, through the Çoku family's land.
PDV was reviewed by a second decision, in February 2022, where SPAK has found an increase in construction intensity from 3.25 to 3.81.
After the approval of the PDV in the area, this residential development was registered with permission from the Municipality of Tirana:
- October 19, 2022 permission was granted 10-story building with project by "Atelier 4" and developer "A&G Construction"
- December 27, 2022 permission was granted 10-story building with a project by "StudioArch4" and developer "Tirana-1 Konstruksion".
- Permission was granted on April 25, 2023. 8-story building with a project by "Atelier 4" and developer Artan Dumi and "Gramozi Construction Design".
Residents, who discovered that the road was an excuse to create access for the complex built on part of Ajola Xoxa's inherited properties, reacted with legal complaints.
They won the trial against the municipality on April 3, 2024, where the Administrative Court dismissed the PDV as unfounded and in conflict of interest.
The court confirmed that the new road was unnecessary, as the urban connection existed through the "Faik Tërnova" road, while Veliaj's decision was declared invalid.
Irena Dule, a lawyer at the "Res Publica" law firm, one of Ms. Çoku's representatives, says that the decision has been appealed by the municipality and the case is expected to be reviewed by the High Court.
"Since the PDV serves as a development basis for issuing construction permits, its cancellation calls into question the legality of all permits issued on it," said lawyer Dule.
She says that properties that were spared demolition for the construction of the road, designed in a contrived manner with the PDV, have depreciated significantly.
"For this damage, responsibility falls on the municipality, as the authority that issued the permits, but the possibility that responsibility may fall personally on the mayor is not excluded, if his involvement in committing the criminal offense of abuse of office is proven," the lawyer continues.
On the other hand, the decisions and projects appear to have significantly increased the value of Ajola Xoxa's previous land, sold in 2020 for 140 thousand euros to her cousin Valmir Xoxa, who, according to SPAK, has no legal resources to justify this transaction.
The Special Prosecution Office suspects that the transaction was fictitious, as in this way Veliaj could push forward the PDV approvals and construction permits without being in a conflict of interest.
SPAK accuses the Veliaj-Xoxa couple of money laundering, corruption and false declaration of assets, with suspicions that they benefited from hundreds of thousands of euros from a scheme that also included Xoxa's NGOs. Veliaj has denied the accusations, considering them political.
The case of "Hajdar Kërçuku" street and the three buildings hastily built there has become a symbol of the clash between public interest and state capture through clientelistic and family networks, in a city where urban heritage is being hidden behind buildings that rise on historic properties.
The Çoku family defines their battle as defending the city's roots and community identity, in the face of a development model based on abuse of power and clientelism.
He completed master's studies in Investigative Journalism at the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana. She has been working as a journalist for five years, where she previously covered issues of politics and parliamentary activity, in print and online media. She is currently a journalist at Citizens.al, where she covers various social issues related to the transparency of institutions. At Citizens.al, she leads the podcast "The Unheard" and is engaged as a manager of projects related to the support of investigative journalism.
