A criminal investigation into the wealth of prosecutor Ornela Roundwood, which is investigating some of the important files at the Durres Prosecutor’s Office, revealed a suspected giant money laundering scheme. At the center of this scheme, according to the data provided by “News.al” lies the husband of the prosecutor, businessman Alban The Teacher. It turns out that it has included at least four companies in the Albanian financial market resulting in the global black list in the so-called Panama Papers scandal.
Prosecutor Ornela Round was commander of the Durrës Prosecutor’s Office since Arta Mark was appointed as Provisional Chief Prosecutor in mid-December 2017. Prosecutor Rottambul became an interesting media person after being assigned to prosecute two of the inquiries for which he was interested the Chief Prosecutor Markus – the investigation into the illegal extradition of Nazer Seitaj, considered as “the financier of the narcotics organization” Habilaj “and the investigation of the property of the spouses prosecutors Rovena Gashi and Dritan Gina, who legally and institutionally clashed with chief prosecutor Arta Mark.
Prosecutor Roundup did not have a high public profile. Even when it started addressing the investigations above, the media found it difficult to find a picture of it. However, the in-depth investigation revealed that it was part of a family that had established close financial ties not only with some important left-wing exponents in Albania, but also with some offshore companies from Panama and Cyprus, whose names relate to the international financial scandal known as “Panama Papers”.
But further deepening in his investigation, based on public records, “News.al” uncovered Alban Albans’ connections with several offshore companies involved in the Panama Papers scandal. The next part of the investigation is the fullest, for the first time, Albanian journalistic research on Albania’s ties with the Panama Papers world scandal.
In 2015, Alban Trainer has two betting companies – “Timbast” in January 2015 and “24Bast” in April 2015. In both companies, which have the same address as their headquarters, the businessman Albanian is the main shareholder with 40% of initial capital and in the position of the administrator. According to the documents submitted to NRC, Alban Teacher has registered 20 million new Lek as initial capital for each company, therefore, in total, 40 million new Lek.
Other major partners in these two betting companies are four foreign companies, two headquartered in Panama and two resident in Cyprus, countries known as “fiscal haven”. All four of these “off-shore” companies are linked to the Panama Papers Global Financial Scandal.
In the “25Bast” company, alongside the Albanian Employees, Panamanian companies “Trillado Enterprises” and “Atilova Enterprises” are also partners. These two companies, according to an investigation of the Greek information portal “lobbystas.gr”, result to have the same “parent”, a company registered in Panama, but with Cypriot capital “Franco & Franco”. The latter, according to the Greek portal, has a significant weight in the Panama Papers scandal. It has created more than 270 shell companies, two of which are also members of the Alban Albanians, “Trillado” and Atilova. ”
“Trillado” shortly before the registration of “24Bast” company at NRC, has transferred to the Albanian Student account an amount of 100 thousand Euros with the note “for initial capital”.
The “24Bast” company has not carried out any financial activity since its creation. though it continues to be ‘active’. The “24Bast” company has submitted to QKR only the financial balance for 2015, in which, all rubrics are marked with ‘zero’, ie no activity. What is doubtful is the fact that in the annual balance sheet neither the initial capital amounts, which amount to a total of about 500 thousand dollars, nor the transfer of 100 thousand Euros, which has been passed by Alban Albanians from Trillado .
After submitting the annual balance sheet report for 2015, in April 2016, the administrator Alban The apprentice resigns from the position of the company’s administrator.
The same almost identical scheme has been developed with another betting company, “Timbast”, where the businessman Alban Trainer is involved. This company was created in January 2015. Here too, the Teacher is the main partner with 40% of the initial capital, worth 20 million new lek, as well as in the position of the administrator.
In this venture, two Albanian Cypriot companies, “Charino Holding co. Limited “and” Christoforus Varianous “. For the establishment of the “Timbast” company, the administrator account of Alban Lessee has transferred $ 125,000 from “Charino Holding …” with the note “for initial capital”. The company “Timbast” also continues to be “active” in NRC, but it turns out that there has been no activity.
In Timbast’s annual financial report for 2015, “Timbast” has completed all “zero” columns, ie without any activity. In the annual balance sheet, the amount used for its initial capital, which amounts to approximately $ 500,000, is not reflected either. Also, there is no declared $ 125,000 transfer by Charino Holding … for the account of Administrator Alban Lesson. Similarly to the case of “24Bast” company, the administrator Alban Trainer resigns also from Timbast Company on the same day-25.04.2016. So even in this case, there are strong suspicions that the whole scheme is fictitious, creating the impression that it was used for money laundering.
These doubts are further strengthened when, from the results of the journalistic investigation, it results that foreign partners of “Timbast”, ie Charino Holding co. Limited “and” Christoforus Varianous “relate to a series of links with the other two, the Panamanian ones, which Alban Albanians joined to create” 24Bast “.
Referring again to the Greek portal “lobbystas.gr”, the parent company “Franco & Franco” had created a number of companies, including the name of Greek-Cypriot citizen Christina Sarri. Her name, according to the Greek portal, was found in documents as part of the companies “Trillado Enterprises” and “Atilova Enterprises”, co-owner of the Albanian company “24 Bast”.
Meanwhile, it turns out that Christina Sarri’s name turns out as general secretary to Charino Holding co. Limited, “which also joined Alban’s Employees at the other betting company,” Timbast “. Also, Cypriot businessman Christoforus Varianous, who is a member of Timbast, also turns out to be an official representative of “Trillado Enterprises” in the deal with the Alban Teacher for “24Bast” company.
So, in a simpler way, Alban The Teacher has created two betting companies with four offshore companies, all linked together and involved in the Panama Papers scandal. Many actions carried out by companies “Timbast” and “24Bast” create a strong suspicion that they are used in a money laundering scheme.
Both companies, “Timbast” and “24Bast”, declare that they have invested as initial capital the sum of $ 1 million ($ 500,000 each). Both companies appear to be registered at the same address in Tirana. Both have as their main associate, the Albanian Lesson, with 40% of the initial capital, for which he has recorded that he has paid 20 million new Lek (40 million ALL in total). Both companies have the same administrator, the Alban Teacher.
For both companies, “off-shore” partners have made two transfers to the account of the administrator Alban Albani, totaling about 220 thousand euros. Both companies, “Timbast” and “24Bast” have not carried out any financial activity and in the annual balance sheet submitted for 2016, all rubrics are marked with “zero”, ie no activity. Meanwhile, after the delivery of these balances, the administrator of both companies, Alban Mësuesi, resigns on the same day from both, on dt. 04/25/2016.
According to the documents submitted to the NRC, Alban The Teacher states that he has invested in these companies a total of 40 million new lek, about 340 thousand euros. In “Timbast” and “24Bast”, Alban The Teacher is presented as an individual, which means that the money invested by him as initial capital, 40 million ALL, is his personal.
Meanwhile, in the same period as the Teacher declares that he has great financial opportunities, on the other hand, his wife, prosecutor Ornela Roundup, declares to HIDAA that she has received a consumer credit worth around 48 thousand Euros.
This financial move, that is, the credit received by Prosecutor Roundup, adds even more to the suspicion that her husband, Alban Mësuesi, had no real opportunities for investing 40 million leks in Timbast and 24Bast companies. It all seems to be a money laundering scheme that is worth at least $ 1 million, as much as the figure stated as initial capital for “Timbast” and “24Bast”.
