In 2021, Sokol Parllaku, a close friend of Daniel Shimë, creates the company "Premium Glass".
The same person, since 2015, also owned another company, "Alu Glass." Both operate in the glass trade, production of aluminum doors, windows, etc.
Up until this point, everything seems completely normal. But Daniel Shima's mother, Merita, enters as a shareholder with 60% of the shares in the company "Premium Glass".
So, Ms. Shima does not come in as a simple shareholder, but as the controller of the overwhelming share package. She has the decision-making power in the company for everything.
Merita Shima, bought another 40% of the shares in the company founded by Parllaku for only 40 thousand new lekë, becoming the sole owner. For a new company, without activity, with a capital of 100 thousand lekë, this seems somewhat in line with the market. But, “Premium Glass” and the other company “Alu Glass” founded by Daniel Shima’s friend, had launched an extensive land purchase campaign. These moves were followed by the development of properties with buildings. So, Mrs. Shima, who once worked as a seamstress, had bought a company that already owned properties worth millions of euros for only 40 thousand lekë.
"This is an old problem that continues in our country, it's not just companies that open capital with 1 thousand euros, and then receive a contract or construction permit from the AZHT or municipalities, where just getting the permit can cost 500-800 or 1 million euros," said Alban Qafa, a lawyer.
Major investments begin in 2020 with the purchase of two apartments in the name of another company, "Alu Glass", in one of the most luxurious areas in Tirana, near the Delijorgji complex. The apartments, each measuring 160 square meters, serve as offices.
In March 2021, the company owned by Merita Shima purchased 3,000 square meters of land in the Kashari area for 2.1 million lekë. In the same area, through another company, "Alu Glass", owned by their partner Sokol Parllaku, 7,100 meters of land were purchased, bringing the total to a full 10,000 meters.
In June 2021, the entity controlled by Merita Shima purchased another 3,600 square meters of land in Dobresh.
During this period where the former dressmaker appears as a major investor in the company "Premium Glass", the sister company "Alu Glass" also makes numerous land purchases. In February 2021, the entity buys 2200 meters of land in the Prushi area, on the outskirts of Tirana, for 7800 euros. In April and May 2021, they buy two plots with a total area of 3 thousand square meters on "Koxhas Street" in Durrës, where they also secure a building permit. In 2022, "Alu Glass" buys 3 plots in the Kashari area with areas of 2400, 14500 and 3700 square meters, respectively, worth about 700 thousand euros.
From investments in land, companies linked to former AKSHI deputy director Daniel Shima are now firmly entering the construction sector. In March 2022, 'Alu Glass' and 'Premium Glass' receive permission from the Municipality of Tirana for a building with 8 floors above ground and 1 underground.
"Real estate, one of the sectors with a lot of potential that has been used for money laundering, has historically been the construction industry," said Bledar Meminaj, a lawyer.
"They are mainly camouflaged with paper sales, which is a widespread form, then being credited to banks in x amount, but it does not cover the investment value of what is poured into the property," said lawyer Qafa.
Meanwhile, on November 5, 2021, the company "Premium Glass" signed a contract-venture with the entity Nova Konstruksion for apartment booking. In fact, the contract provides for a total of 9 apartments and 14 parking spaces. The value of the contract is a total of 869,400 euros.
NOVA: "We have been cooperating with the companies in which Mr. Parllaku is an administrator and partner for years, due to contractual relationships for the performance of certain works of an important nature in terms of their value in our investment costs, such as duralumin works and glass facades."
In July 2024, on land purchased in unit 14 in Tirana, companies connected to people close to former AKSHI deputy director Daniel Shima, secured a permit for a building with 16 floors above ground and 3 floors underground.
The land was in the name of the company 'Alu Glass', while the representation for obtaining the permit was again carried out by the company with connections in the local government "Son Engineering & Construction" owned by Erind Bejleri. The developer of the tower was the company 'Terra Construction', again with Sokol Parllaku, a friend of Shimë, as a shareholder.
SON: "SON Engineering & Construction Ltd. provides architectural design services and does not mediate in obtaining building permits. In a property in Tirana belonging to the company 'Alu Glass', we have provided architectural design services for a concept idea, for a 16-story building."
In April 2024, this group purchased a plot of land on Him Kolli Street in Tirana for 770 thousand euros.
In the period 2022 to February 2025, they return to “Koxhasë” street in Durrës where, through several transactions, they purchase several plots with a total area of 24,500 square meters. It is noteworthy that the purchase price ranged from 1 lek per meter to 1,800 lek, values that have no relation to the market.
In all these transactions, the question that remains unanswered is where the money came from for properties worth millions of euros.
"Even if there are these traces, I naturally believe that they are investigating and will be investigated," said Bledar Meminaj, a lawyer.
"This is one of the old forms that has been going on for decades in our country when bribes are offered, but not in currency but in real estate," says lawyer Alban Qafa.
On December 7, 2022, after the “Premium Glass” company owned by Daniel Shima’s mother had signed contracts for properties worth millions of euros, the former dressmaker decided to sell the shares. The buyer is the same person, partner Sokol Parllaku. The shares were sold for 100 thousand new lekë, even though, as we discovered, the entity owned assets worth millions of euros. The de jure withdrawal occurred at the moment when SPAK had launched investigations into several tenders at AKSHI and, apparently, Shima was trying to cover her tracks.
But, control over the company remains. Sokol Parllaku appoints citizen Redvin Marku as administrator of the company. What is impressive is the fact that this person would also become the administrator of the company "Digital Euphoria" that would be founded in 2024 by Daniel Shima himself with his name as the official owner.
So, a scheme where names are changed between them to lose track, but control and money remain. The last move occurs on November 20, 2025 where Sokol Parllaku takes back the delegated attributes of administrator to Redvin Marku. This happens exactly when, under the cover of silence, the sensational file of "AKSHI" was boiling, which was finalized in December 2025 with security measures. These seem unlikely to be all coincidences.
"If it happened during the investigation period, we are dealing with another crime that could be laundering the proceeds of crime, a way of concealing it, or a way that I believe is obvious and noticed by the prosecuting authority," says lawyer Bledar Meminaj.
"If you have a company that has a cash turnover of 5-7 million euros, you can never sell it for 2 thousand or 5 thousand euros as happened with one of the co-defendants," said Alban Qafa.
Inside Story