English
In an exclusive interview with Republika, businessman Drin Ahmeti, who is nephew of Ali Ahmeti, denies that he used is powerful uncle to advance his business interests, concedes that he faces significant investigations but insists that everything is legit. Drin Ahmeti denies any knowledge about the murky businesses of his partners, and confirms that he received grants from the Innovation Fund – not for actual innovations but only for purchasing of IT equipment. For good measure, Ahmeti concluded the interview by comparing himself to Alexander the Great.
Mr. Ahmeti, we are conducing the interview here, in the Soravia building, in English. Why in English? Macedonian is the official language in Macedonia.
I speak a little bit. Unfortunately, my Macedonian is not that good so I can’t academically speak or explain business processes. I studied in English all my life so even if I have to answer questions in Albanian, which is my mother language, it’s more difficult than to speak in English. I don’t mean to disrespect the official languages, both Macedonian or Albanian, but for me it’s easier to express myself in English.
Why did you insist that the interview takes place in this building? Are you afraid for your safety?
It’s just that we invited any journalist who wanted to conduct an interview, we said we are open and I think it was your request to come here. I’m not aware. It was my chief of staff who was in communication with you and he said you’re going to come here.
Lets start with the most current case. You went at the Public Prosecutor’s Office to give a statement. Given that there are two proceeding against you in the state prosecutors office, did you testify about charges both in the organized crime and in the state prosecutors office?
No, so regarding Soravia accusations, I have never been asked by the public prosecutor to give an interview. I’ve never had any form of invite from them. This was an invite for the case for Everest concession, in which I gave to the public prosecutor the payments that we have done and we have also for you to see if you’d like after the interview, the payments which were done. Including the interest which has been paid for the delay. And I have said it in the previous interview but I don’t know if that was transmitted – the reason of the delay, and in this year we are in delay as well. Because, if you see outside, there is snow. And we need to go right now to make the measurements make them ready. The law says that on the 31st of December you should close the year. And you should have the measurements. But no surveyor can go there to measure right now. This is something of a technical issue. And every year since I’m in charge of Everest I’ve been in delay., we paid in February, in March, don’t take me by the word but we’ve always been delayed because of this reason. Because the mine which we operate, the quarry, is approximately 1.200 meters elevation. So, because of that reason there is always snow at this period of the year and it’s difficult to do the measurement. And I gave the statement to..
Do you still have a concession for the mine, for minerals?
Yes, as of now we have it, we are operating and there are people employed there and we are working.
Do you expect charges to be brought against you?
Well, I don’t know, that’s for the institutions to say. I told them what I know, I testified about what I know, what I was aware of. I explained to them that this is a thorough process which involves a lot of people. This involves our engineering staff, it involves other engaged consultants which work with us in accordance with the mineral laws. So it’s not just my doing, a lot of people are involved. We have a lot people engaged to follow the law, we have lawyers, we have accountants, everything. And we also invited the institutions ourselves to see if we conducted any wrongdoing. And that’s all there is to that story. And we are waiting a verdict of the prosecutors
Do you know this photo, do you know these people?
Yes, I know.
Do you believe that an impartial investigation against you is possible when there is a photograph of the organized crime prosecutor Islam Abazi with your father?
So I will briefly explain. I know Islam Abazi’s father, professor Asan Abazi. He’s a teacher of history in the highschool, was, he’s now retired. So I know his father. Now, in Zajas there are probably 4,000 people who live there. Maybe 4 or 5 thousand people, don’t take me wrong. Probably the number of resident people is even lower than that. Don’t take me by the word. We all know each other. We all know of each other. And I don’t think that Mr. Abazi, as a prosecutor, is engaged, in any of my cases directly because of this. But, on top of it, I haven’t met Mr. Abazi since the start of the investigation. Nor has my father, from what I’m aware, nor has any immediate family member of mine. So, we all know each other, and we are a small country. Even if it’s anybody, you can find a connection in Macedonia very easily. We are not a country of 20 million people.
Are you family friends with the prosecutor Abazi?
No, no, he’s probably.. that was an event, because my father, yeah, that’s my father and the reason why he’s sitting there is because at that event we had 40 or 50 people, and my father loves folkloric music. So, he had some singers that night, and there are videos of that event. And we are celebrating a family occasion. So, yeah, he’s known to us, I know him, I’ve met him maybe 4 or 5 times in my life, but I have never ever ever asked him.
There is some information that you have you traveled together with Mr. Abazi.
Me? Never in my life. Never in my life have I been in a car with him. You can say it was this day, never.
We are here in the Soravia building. Who is the real owner? Is it Hano Soravia, is it you or Nik Nayar Mehmeti?
Neither.
Neither? It seems that things are too complicated.
Yes, they are. Because in Macedonia people think, in Macedonia people think that every transaction is so straightforward, you go there like you’re buying a small candy shop somewhere and you pay and you take the title. Large businesses don’t work that way. It’s a different structure. As of now, I told in the Telma interview, I don’t want to go to their exclusive story, but I made a very good explanation to their TV station, so why I need to go there again. I will just touch briefly – as of now, the title belongs, the UBO is still Mr. Hano Soravia. However we are closing a deal. We have made payments towards him and it’s a matter of procedure, a matter of processing times, from different jurisdictions which have been involved in the deal and in a matter of weeks it’s going to be closed. And there’s going to be a new owner. And this owner is a fund. I will tell it to you because I didn’t have time to tell it to Telma, it’s going to be a structure called Gondoling capital, which is founded by me, but also has a lot of investors, including institutional investors. And that’s the story.
Is Mr Mehmeti a former financier of UCK?
No, I’m not aware of that.
Did you know that he owns strip bars in Dallas, USA?
I’m not aware of that either. I’ve never seen it, I don’t know it, I’ve never asked him, because these are sensitive matters and I don’t like to ask people something they might feel uncomfortable sharing. But he has given an FBI background check – 100 percent clean, no charges for anything, no illicit activity.
He has no problem with the law in the US?
No, absolutely not. He’s in court, everybody in the United States is in court all the time, but no illegal activities, he has not been criminally charged of anything. I have his background check.
How did you get into a joint investment with Mr. Mehmeti?
Oh, easy, it’s through my connections in Texas Senate. You have the pictures. An American guy introduced us to each other. I’m not allowed to say who but it was an American politician who introduced us to each other. He said, you’re from Macedonia, we have somebody who is from Macedonia in Dallas. I said I’d like to meet him.
You say it’s clear?
A 100 percent. A 100 percent. If there’s something, because up until today he’s 100 percent clear because we have his records. And he has mine as well. But what can happen tomorrow, I don’t know. Nobody can tell, that’s why they don’t do statues for the living, because you don’t know who you’re gonna end up with. But as of now, he’s 100 percent clean.
How much did your uncle help you with your businesses in Macedonia?
Zero.
It seems that everything comes easier when you have perhaps the most powerful man in the country on your side.
No.
..where all doors open to you.
Ok, look, let me explain something. People here in our country still have unfortunately negative sentiment towards business. Now, I believe that you guys coming from a more center right media, paper, value more business rather than socialism. So I’m not gonna go into politics or into philosophy, but if you can name one person, company, entity that my uncle connected me with or pressured to help me, any entity, you can say it was this one, there’s nothing, none, never. And I told in the Telma interview as well, at Kod. Yes, he influenced my upbringing as a kid because I used him as a role model, how, as a man, human, not a politician, a human should be. Like when I was a kid I couldn’t tell that he was an important figure. I couldn’t tell. That’s how growing up I was realizing that if you’re important you don’t go around telling people that you’re important, you just are, you know it and you have reached a level of self-actualization and you don’t need to brag about it. And that’s one of the most important lessons I’e learnt from him. But, as for my business, one and a half year everybody is investigating. They didn’t find one single connection of me and him because there is none.
Do you believe that the Innovation Fund decided objectively, impartially, independently to give your companies a portion of the funds allocated by this fund?
Yeah, so I think that this part was removed from my Telma interview. We applied to the Innovation Fund for 10 projects, and we won two. From what I know and from what my understanding is, and my staff knows this better, there was a foreign board of people who were deciding which companies take what. And the equipment from the Fund of Innovation that we purchased is here, in the premises, and you can see it after the interview. Then we were made to return all the money for some weird reason, and we did. And that’s all the story there is there. And we are an innovative company, we started the IT department, we have contracts in the United States, and ok, we applied, I applied in my own name, I didn’t apply..
You applied for the projects?
Yeah, yeah, for the projects. Legally, we answered the calling and out of 10 projects we applied for, we won two. Eight projects we didn’t win.
Where can we see the projects of the Innovation Fund?
I will show you right here. When you open this door you saw a printer, it has Fond of Innovation..
What kind of innovation is that printer?
Because the calling was to purchase equipment, it was not to innovate, it was to purchase equipment, a co-sponsored grant of sorts. I don’t understand it 100 percent because my team was applying and they were saying ok. Companies, young companies are being financed by the Fund of Innovation to purchase equipment. So we bought computers, we showed the business plan what are we going to use the computers for, what are we gonna do and that business plan was approved. Out of 10 applications, we won two. And from my understanding, this was a foreign board that decided for us to be granted these funds.
How much money you taken from the Innovation Fund and for which projects?
I don’t know. We have to check with the staff. I really don’t know. I was not involved with the application process, it was my team that did the application. They gave green light because they didn’t see anything wrong.
Which accounts of you are blocked and why?
So there are three accounts that are blocked, I don’t know why. One of them I know is from public revenues office. I think all of them are from the public revenue office. We are working with them to find a solution to restructure the debt which remains unpaid, according to them. Because unfortunately in Macedonia you don’t have the right to complain, to say, wait, I don’t owe you money, they just lock your money. It’s not like in first world countries where they first issue a statement then another statement then a notification and then they act. Here they just lock the account and that’s it.
If they are regularly locked, why will they continue to be blocked?
It’s not regularly locked, it’s not. The accounts were locked probably around July, and then they were released, then locked again, then released and locked again. And for this reason, in order to keep most of my staff, we had to grant some of my staff shares. And we did that.
Can you explain how you managed to solve the problems with blocked accounts during the previous and current government?
We didn’t manage to solve it, we just paid. They are taking money from our account and that’s it.
Who is the owner of Tor Industries? You had an announcement that you were stepping down and that the company was being taken over by Nik Nazar Mehmeti.
So as of now, Tor Industries is also part of the restructuring. I made an exit from Tor Industries, I signed, we made a recapitalization through Mr. Mehmeti’s company Texas American Holdings. So this company will be taken over by Mr. Mehmeti in the new structure. We have mostly foreign assets, not assets in Macedonia and the percentage, the final calculation how much percent is going to be owned is going to be in accordance with the new calculation which the investment bank will do.
So soon all your companies will be owned by Mr. Mehmeti.
No, no no. Again you didn’t understand. We are doing a process of increase of capital. In this increase of capital, he’s put 12.3 million euros. The investment banker will evaluate the company. I have a commercial agreement for the amount of discount I’m going to give him for the evaluation and he’s going to take the shares. Whether that’s going to be 100 percent or it’s going to be 10 percent I don’t know, because the calculation is still pending and is being done by an international bank. An investment bank.
Тhere is information that you also entered the electricity business. Is it true?
No. That’s not true. We have a concession which we applied for in 2018. We were awarded in 2019 and we are still working for five years with the paperwork to get a building permit which has been much more difficult than I anticipated. We have invested so far over 200,000 euros only in documentation and still we don’t have a building permit. We are trying to get a building permit for that. It’s an investment, it was our own initiative because we know the region so well. It’s in Baciska Reka. And we applied, our project was evaluated. I believe that the current Prime Minister was also part of the team that did the mechanical engineering for the project. So… We’ll see.
How many employees are there in your companies?
At one point we had over 400 employees. Right now, we are much less, I believe that in the whole group we are between 70 and 80 people. There are some who are fully employed and some who are with services agreement. Don’t take me for the exact number because we did a lot of cuts, because of the problems we were having with locked accounts, it was impossible to keep up, so the number now probably 70-80 people.
You are 26, right?
Yes, absolutely, so was Alexander the Great when he ruled half the world.
What was the use of seven hundred and fifty 750 pyrotechnics for which you were detained by the police?
So, I have to explain two things for this.
Did you pay a fine?
No, the court hasn’t decided yet if I have to pay a fine. I’m in court and I don’t know, when I know I’ll tell you. First you should know that we as a company, Everest and me personally, we have a license to import export, store and detonate explosives. This is a license that is given by all the institutions in North Macedonia, the Ministry of Interior, and all the security agencies in the country that trust us with a license which is extremely rare. That we can detonate explosives. We use them for the mining activities that’s licensed. Just so you know a bit about my background. The second is that those fireworks were purchased via an invoice, legally, and they were purchased because when I was going home for that New Year’s Eve, all my nieces and nephews were there and they like a show of fireworks as does I think every kid in North Macedonia. Not for them to detonate, for them to see the show. And we have hired a company to do that. The fireworks were paid via an invoice, the company was from Gostivar who was coming the next day to light them up, and I thought that everything was ok, that everything was in accordance with the rules. I didn’t know that it would turn out to be a massive talking point for a year. I didn’t know that at the time and I’m going to be frankly honest with you. And after all what happened and all that story I found out that wow this has become a story, when I saw the press in front of the police station. And I was like, ok, I see where this is going now. It had nothing to do with any illicit activities that I was accused of, charged of, of trading or whatever it was, the initial accusation. And even gentlemen from the police station, a great guy, the commander of the police station, he told me that they are taking notes and they are going to release me the next hour. And suddenly I was kept in prison for the entire night. So even he was surprised, and he was a very kind gentleman, the chief of police of the central station. And, yeah. But now, as you know, the public prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Interior Affairs dropped the case to a maximum fine of 200 EUR and the court will decide whether even that will stand. Because we purchased the fireworks legally.
You say that resident of America. Why do you want to invest in Macedonia? Is it perhaps because of the close ties between business and politics?
No. No. First, I love this country, this is where I grew up, no matter where I go in the world I will always love this country. With all the defects, the bad and the good, with all the history, and we have a rich history as a country. So I love this country. And I’m constantly trying to find ways, because we live in a dynamic world, in a changing world, where now you can do business anywhere in the world and still be in touch, it’s not like it used to be 50 years ago where you couldn’t communicate. Now information and technology, communication services are so good you can run a business from anywhere in the world, how you want to run it. Now we have projects here, just now we are going to announce very soon an investment for a data center which we are investing with American partners here in the country. It’s a new investment of about 15 million dollars, that is going to be here in North Macedonia, the first data center of its kind. And it’s a larger consortium, part of Gondoling capital and the investment will create about 20 high paying jobs in North Macedonia.
Have you been exposed to attempts at corruption or extortion?
Look, in my life I’ve seen a lot of things. I’ve heard more than I’ve seen. And I’ll leave it at that.
Mr Ahmeti thanks for the interview.
