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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Saturday's hearing on security measures against three suspects for the "disappearance" of 69 million lek at the Albanian Post branch in Durres was accompanied by strong accusations from the prosecution and strong objections from the defense of former director Elisabeta Mataj, who is also a member of the Municipal Council and a member of the Durres Port Authority's Steering Council.
According to the prosecution, the movement of monetary values was carried out in violation of the regulation, without the mandatory accompaniment of physical security, while in April and May, accounting operations were carried out that removed about 69 million lek from the central cash register, without being recorded as an entry in the Shijak and Kruja branches. The prosecution also spoke about suspected falsified payment orders and directly accused Mataj of embezzling the amount, which was contested by it and the defense.
Another element presented by the prosecutor was the frequentation of casinos by the former director and her husband. According to the indictment, Mataj appears to have entered the casino in Tirana 335 times, as well as 27 times, or one day, one day not, during the period April-May when the 69 million lek is missing, while her husband has 340 entries during the last months. By decision of the prosecutor, video footage of the Mataj couple's entrances and exits from the two main casinos in Tirana was secured, while the defense considered it a violation of private life.
After the court hearing and after learning of the court's decision, Feta Mataj, Elisabeta's husband, said that they have been frequenting casinos for 8 years and that this attendance has nothing to do with the mail issue.
Mataj's defense requested the consolidation of the criminal proceedings and the administration of all video footage, claiming that part of Mataj's evidence was not included in the indictment file, which violates equality in the process.
Lawyer Gerta Gorjani requested a more lenient security measure, noting that Mataj is a mother of 6 children and arguing that there is no risk of her leaving. She also disputed the prosecution's claim that her client had left Albania from Kapshtica on July 10 to evade justice, explaining that her entry into the country was through the Morina border crossing, which is not registered in the TIMS system according to agreements with Kosovo.
The defense also brought documents that, according to the lawyers, show that Mataj herself had been signaling violations in the financial sector for months, starting in March. According to them, she had issued orders to restrict access to the cash register, had requested inspections, had proposed disciplinary measures for the cashier and the head of finance, and had continuously informed the General Directorate about the problems she had found, without receiving the appropriate response.
On the other hand, former finance chief Valbona Duni stated that the money was taken from her office by the director and was never returned, while treasurer Paola Dana stated that she did not receive any amount and that the Post Office
"Not even a fly moves without the director's order. Everyone knows that." The mother of a 1.5-year-old child, she said she had handed the money over to the finance chief in any case.
The court imposed "prison arrest" for Mataj, while for the chief financial officer Valbona Duni and treasurer Paola Dana it imposed "house arrest".
Three criminal charges have been filed in this case: Posta against all three, Valbona Duni against Elisabeta Mataj, and director Mataj against Valbona Duni and Paola Dana. The charges are expected to be merged into a single proceeding by the prosecution. / Top Channel
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