Vangjush Dako
Socialist Party (PS)
Legal status
On trial
on-trial
What this means: A court is hearing the case. The person is presumed innocent until a final verdict.
Conflicting records. The research disagrees; every version is shown and none has been chosen as correct.
- Legal status
- on-trialFrom the research record · cites:
- SPAK mbyll hetimet dhe dërgon për gjykim Vangjush Dakon dhe 10 të tjerë (opens in a new tab)Shqiptarja · 7 Dec 2023 · journalism · SQ
- under-investigationFrom the research record · cites:
- Wiretaps show Socialists collaborated with criminals to buy votes (opens in a new tab)Exit.al (based on BIRN investigation) · 31 Jan 2019 · journalism · EN
- on-trialFrom the research record · cites:
- Source label
- OFFICIALLY_REPORTEDFrom the research record · cites:
- SPAK mbyll hetimet dhe dërgon për gjykim Vangjush Dakon dhe 10 të tjerë (opens in a new tab)Shqiptarja · 7 Dec 2023 · journalism · SQ
- UNDER_INVESTIGATIONFrom the research record · cites:
- Wiretaps show Socialists collaborated with criminals to buy votes (opens in a new tab)Exit.al (based on BIRN investigation) · 31 Jan 2019 · journalism · EN
- OFFICIALLY_REPORTEDFrom the research record · cites:
Profile
Former mayor of Durrës. SPAK sent him to trial at GJKKO in December 2023 with 10 co-defendants over a building-permit legalisation and a coastal promenade tender.
Response from Vangjush Dako
Defence says the building had a regular municipal permit (lawyer Petrit Ismaili, reported).
Other accounts in the research (3 fields worded differently)
This record appears in more than one research record. The main text above comes from one; the other versions are kept here unedited.
- Biography
- Former mayor of Durrës. SPAK sent him to trial at GJKKO in December 2023 with 10 co-defendants over a building-permit legalisation and a coastal promenade tender.From the research record
- Named in 2019 BIRN-based reporting on wiretaps of the Avdyli gang (Shijak/Durrës) that discuss vote-buying arrangements. The article says the wiretaps seem to show him granting the group access to state institutions as a reward. No charges against him are reported in that article. He refused to comment on the relationship, saying the group were 'just citizens with whom he has been in touch'.From the research record
- Legal status detail
- Sent to trial (SPAK referral, reported 2023-12-07). Arrest orders June 2023 (reported). Verdict not retrieved.From the research record
- No charges reported in the cited article.From the research record
- Response
- Defence says the building had a regular municipal permit (lawyer Petrit Ismaili, reported).From the research record
- Refused to comment on the relationship, per the article.From the research record
Related cases
Sorted by reported money, then by linked people and their legal status. The money figure is the largest single reported figure, not a total.
From Jun 2023
Durrës: former mayor Vangjush Dako, building permit legalisation and coastal promenade tender
SPAK sent former Durrës mayor Vangjush Dako and 10 co-defendants to the GJKKO for trial in December 2023. The charges concern a building permit for an 11-storey building that the municipality…
Status: Sent to trial at GJKKO (referral reported 2023-12-07). Verdict not found.
From 2017
Electiongate (Durres 2017): vote rigging and File 339
The 2017 Durres parliamentary vote was the subject of a vote-rigging investigation known as Electiongate or File 339, based on wiretaps. The Durres Prosecutor's Office charged 21 people for rigging…
Status: Partly decided: 11 commissioners convicted by the Durres court (21 June 2021, reported). Other defendants and high-level figures not charged per sources.
A case listed here names this person. It does not mean they are accused in it; read the case page.
Connections
Open the map →- Alleged relationship→Electiongate (Durres 2017): vote rigging and File 339Source label: Under investigation
Wiretap mention, not charged
Evidence: Wiretaps linked Dako to the Avdyli group's vote buying; he was not charged in that case (Exit News, 2021).
- Court proceeding→Durrës: former mayor Vangjush Dako, building permit legalisation and coastal promenade tenderSource label: Officially reported
Defendant, sent to GJKKO
Evidence: SPAK referral to GJKKO reported 2023-12-07 (Shqiptarja).
- Alleged relationship→Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK)Source label: Under investigation
Wiretap reporting: mayor in calls with Avdyli gang (2019)
Evidence: BIRN-based reporting (Exit.al, 31 Jan 2019) says wiretaps record Dako discussing vote-buying arrangements with the Avdyli gang; investigation by the Serious Crimes Prosecution since 2016; no charges against Dako reported in the article.
UNVERIFIED hypothesis: PS-era Shijak/Durrës networks linked to the Avdylaj group
Evidence: FOR: Ndoka's land dealings were reported as linked to the Avdylaj family (2018, Shqiptarja summary); Dako is alleged in exit.al/Bild wiretap reporting (doc-exit-wiretaps-2019 in to have collaborated with the Avdylaj group in vote buying. AGAINST: Çuko and Ndoka were released in 2018 and no 2018 conviction was found; Dako's SPAK case is for abuse of office, and no Avdylaj-linked charge against him was found in the sources read; the wiretap material is reported, not court-established, and Dako denies the accusations (ABC News).
What they said vs. what the documents show
What was said · Jun 2023
Defence (lawyer Petrit Ismaili) says the building had a regular construction permit issued by the municipality (reported).
Speaker: Vangjush Dako
Arrestimi i Vangjush Dakos, ndërtuesit dhe ish zyrtarëve të bashkisë së Durrësit (opens in a new tab)Shqiptarja / Report TV · Jun 2023 · journalism · SQ
What the documents show
SPAK notice (fetched Shqiptarja report of the referral): the permit was registered on 14 October 2014, after construction finished around 2012; the 2010 approval covered seven floors.
- SPAK mbyll hetimet dhe dërgon për gjykim Vangjush Dakon dhe 10 të tjerë (opens in a new tab)Shqiptarja · 7 Dec 2023 · journalism · SQ
What was said · unknown
Dako denies all accusations of abuse of duty (ABC News headline).
Speaker: Vangjush Dako
Vangjush Dako denies all accusations for abuse of duty (opens in a new tab)ABC News Albania · unknown · journalism · EN
What the documents show
Abuse-of-office charges against Dako and other Durrës officials were reported as arrested in June 2023 and in SPAK proceedings (Wikipedia summary, search results). No money-laundering charge against Dako was found in the sources read, and the searches for one turned up none.
- Vangjush Dako (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia · unknown · wiki · EN
Timeline
Media
Wiretap reporting on Avdyli gang and Durrës mayor
BIRN-based report; no charges against the named mayor reported in the article.
Linked: Vangjush Dako
Court
Durres court convicts 11 commissioners for 2017 electoral crimes
Court of Durres convicted 11 commissioners; one-third sentence reduction for guilty pleas; five-year ban on public functions. Dako not charged in this case per the report.
Linked: Electiongate (Durres 2017): vote rigging and File 339 · Vangjush Dako
SPAK
SPAK arrest orders for Durrës ex-mayor Vangjush Dako and nine municipal officials
SPAK ordered arrests over building-permit legalisation and a coastal promenade tender (press). The date is taken from a search summary of the Shqiptarja report.
Linked: Durrës: former mayor Vangjush Dako, building permit legalisation and coastal promenade tender · Vangjush Dako
SPAK
SPAK sends Durrës permit and promenade case to GJKKO
SPAK referred Dako and 10 others for trial; permit registered in 2014 for a building finished around 2012; 18.3 million lek tender overpayment (SPAK notice).
Linked: Durrës: former mayor Vangjush Dako, building permit legalisation and coastal promenade tender · Vangjush Dako
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 7 sources.
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 3 sources
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja
- Date
- 7 Dec 2023
- Publisher
- Exit.al (based on BIRN investigation)
- Date
- 31 Jan 2019
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja / Report TV
- Date
- Jun 2023
Source label: Under investigationUnder investigation · 3 sources
- Publisher
- Exit News
- Date
- 21 Jun 2021
- Publisher
- ABC News Albania
- Date
- unknown
- Publisher
- Wikipedia
- Date
- unknown
Source label: UnverifiedUnverified · 1 source
- Publisher
- Exit.al
- Date
- Nov 2018