Electiongate (Durres 2017): vote rigging and File 339
Status: Partly decided: 11 commissioners convicted by the Durres court (21 June 2021, reported). Other defendants and high-level figures not charged per sources.
Summary
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 53 votes, according to Exit News. Top Channel reported (28 July 2020) that SPAK warrants were executed against 22 election officials in Tirana and Durres for 'vote buying and electoral manipulations'; not all were detention orders.
On 21 June 2021 the Court of Durres convicted 11 commissioners for allowing people to vote on behalf of voters who were abroad, with a one-third sentence reduction for some who pleaded guilty and a five-year ban on public functions (Exit News). Former mayor Vangjush Dako, who appeared on the wiretaps, was not charged in that case according to the same report.
Top Channel reports that about 40 people were already in court for the case, which began in 2016.
Key facts
- 21 people charged for rigging 53 votes in the 2017 Durres elections (Exit News).
- 11 commissioners convicted, Court of Durres, 21 June 2021 (Exit News).
- SPAK warrants for 22 election officials, reported 28 July 2020 (Top Channel); about 40 people already in court per the article.
- Investigation began in 2016 per Top Channel.
The record
Four lists kept apart on purpose: what is established, what is only alleged, what is still open, and what those concerned said.
What is proven (1)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- The Durres court convicted 11 commissioners for electoral crimes in the 2017 elections (reported first-instance decision; appeal status not checked).
What is alleged (1)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationVangjush Dako's role in vote buying linked to the Avdyli group (wiretap-based allegation; no charge reported in the cited article).
Allegations and who made them (1)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationWiretaps tie Vangjush Dako, former Durres mayor, to the Avdyli group's vote buying (as reported by Exit News; wiretap content not reviewed).
Open questions (3)
- Appeal status of the 2021 convictions.
- Why Dako was not charged despite the wiretaps.
- Outcome of the July 2020 SPAK warrants.
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Vangjush Dako: no response found in the sources reviewed.
Timeline
Full timeline →SPAK
SPAK warrants for 22 election officials in Tirana and Durres
Police executed 22 SPAK warrants for vote buying and electoral manipulation linked to the File 339 wiretaps (Top Channel). Not all were detention orders.
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.
Connections
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).
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 3 sources.
Source label: VerifiedVerified · 3 sources
- Publisher
- Exit News
- Date
- 21 Jun 2021
- Publisher
- Exit News
- Date
- 2020
- Publisher
- Top Channel
- Date
- 28 Jul 2020