Becchetti asks for the seizure of the money that the government promised Albania for the migrants

To the problems with Europe due to the protocol signed between Italy and Albania on the management of migrants; judicial ones are added. The entrepreneur Francesco Becchetti, former editor of the Italian-Albanian TV platform Agon – has in fact notified a writ of foreclosure against the Presidency of the Council and all the ministries of the Italian government for 135 million euros. Becchetti, through his lawyers, requested the seizure of all sums “up to approximately 135 million euros”, which the government has undertaken to pay to Albania on the basis of the protocol of 6 November 2023.
The entrepreneur, in fact, claims the right to that money on the basis of the ARB 15/28 award of 24 April 2019 by the ICSID Tribunal of the World Bank which condemned Albania to compensate the damages suffered, precisely for Agon, in approximately 135 million of Euro.
«The award – says Becchetti – is definitive, binding, executive and has the same effectiveness as a definitive sentence rendered within the State. Nonetheless, for the past 4 years, the Rama government has refused to comply with the ruling of the ICSID Tribunal of the World Bank, established by the 1965 Washington Convention.”
In 2019 the International Arbitration Court held Albania responsible for the illegitimate expropriation of Agonset in violation of the bilateral investment agreement between Italy and Albania and sentenced Tirana to compensate Becchetti and other subjects with over 120 million in damages, costs and interest matured.
According to the entrepreneur’s lawyers, the Court «has ascertained with res judicata effect that Edi Rama and his government structures have carried out a political campaign with abuse of police powers, inventing unfounded crimes against Becchetti, and has also , ascertained a series of facts which imply the commission of criminal crimes, still unpunished to date, such as, in particular: criminal association, illegitimate competition with violence or threat, coercion through threat, abuse of office, carrying out arbitrary acts, false expertise”.
A decision that Albania has been opposing for 4 years, continuing – again according to the lawyers – “in its escalation of persecution against Becchetti in serious and repeated violation of the international obligations established by the ICSID Convention and international human rights treaties”.
Consequently, the definition of the Protocol «is likely to seriously harm the interests of Francesco Becchetti», which is why last November 8 the entrepreneur warned the presidency of the Council of Ministers «to adopt any act or measure aimed at transferring the money or other economic resources to the Republic of Albania and at the same time formulated a formal request for access to the documents” and today he managed to notify the writ of seizure of the sums.
Agon was launched in Albania in April 2013 and has been broadcasting 24 hours a day every day of the week since 2014. Without ever sparing harsh criticism of Prime Minister Rama.
The channel was closed in October 2015 after Becchetti was accused of money laundering, resulting in assets being frozen and an arrest warrant issued. After the victory in the arbitration, Agon’s saga is enriched with a new episode.