Veliaj-Armando Dukës: You can be independent, but not inviolable; You may be as famous as Platini and Blatter, but you have to be accountable

“Independence and inviolability are two different things; you can be independent, but you are not untouchable. And since FIFA and UEFA are in Switzerland, the biggest lesson actually comes to us from Switzerland, where the fact that banking secrecy is kept, personal data, that respects human rights, does not mean that people are inviolable, even if they are VIPs. of football. You can be a great footballer like Platini, but Switzerland does not give you immunity. Switzerland follows you, audits you, holds you accountable and you are not inviolable. Sepp Blatter was the king of football, but being in Switzerland did not give anyone immunity. “The moment you fail in the audit processes, of transparency, then even in Switzerland, which is today the model of maintaining independence and privacy, you can not escape”, stressed Veliaj.

He underlined that the fact that today there are mayors or former ministers in detention and they will face justice, means that no one has immunity anymore. “The fact that there are ministers and former ministers in detention and they will face justice, means that they do not have immunity. The fact that there are officials at all levels, means that in Albania a pact has been made with justice. The audit of the Municipality of Tirana, internal, is stricter than KLSH, it means that we have increased the ‘market’ in every segment of society. We can not have independent islands or enclaves. “You can be independent, but not inviolable”, stressed Veliaj.

The Mayor underlined that even the last battle is related to the audit responsibility to make sure that the taxpayers’ money goes to the right place and is not stolen. “We also see our commitment in these recent battles, not only as one of the owners, but also the main investors of sports fields in the city, as an audit responsibility. “It is money that someone has paid, a donor or a taxpayer, and we must make sure that they go to the right place and do not lose,” he said.

Veliaj stated that now all municipalities will be organized in a single association, where transparency for funds is fundamental. “We had two associations: one with 60 members, and another with zero members. The association with zero members represented Albania in all international organizations, an epic fool. We have also given ourselves seriously, initially to ourselves, saying that the Municipalities of Albania are one. Today I am very proud of the way our 60 municipalities have self-corrected, are in sync. “I can say that when I look at other municipalities in the region, we are definitely at the forefront,” said Mayor Veliaj.

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