For more than 40 days, the king of gambling in Albania, Ervis Martinaj, has been missing. His disappearance has set in motion not only the institutions of justice, but also politics.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has stated that an answer to his fate will come out very soon, while the head of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, said that Rama knows where the king of gambling is and accused the prosecution of not acting.
Ervis Martinaj is originally from Montenegro. He was born in Burrel and then settled in the area of Fushë-Kuqe.
He completed his studies in Italy and then returned to Albania to enter the gambling business.
He also had a license for this business. Ervis Martinaj is not the story of a simple boy who suddenly got involved in business. He came from a family with economic potential.
In 2013, his name was mentioned for the first time for the murder of Ervin Doc. His name came up again in the murder of former Block in 2018. He was briefly arrested and released again.
In the act-expertise of the Israeli authorities, it was said that Martinaj had video, audio and messages exchanged with important people and this is believed to have been the reason that kept the gambling boss untouched by justice.
Through blackmail and pressure on rulers and businessmen, he reportedly managed to have everything under control.
Ervis Martinaj is the father of 4 children. Resources for "Euronews Albania" have announced that his family has removed the children from the school where they were studying in Tirana for security reasons.
It is not known whether the gambling boss's family has been taken into custody by the authorities./ EA