The expansion of the “Central Park” shopping centre in Prishtina’s Industrial Zone has sparked controversy, with legal challenges and concerns over transparency at the forefront.
The Urban Planning Directorate of Prishtina Municipality has repeatedly modified construction conditions to expand the shopping centre ‘Central Park’ in the Industrial Zone of Prishtina.
The original 2019 construction permit was issued based on a request from co-owners: businessman Blerim Devolli from Peja, the company “Ndërmarrja e Re Amortizatorët – Ndërtesa e Administratës,” and “Faico Sh.p.k.”
After five months of investigation, KALLXO.com found that the construction conditions set in 2019, on which the 2020 permit was based, were altered multiple times by the Urban Planning Directorate, affecting both the building area and the land parcel size, ultimately enabling the issuance of a permit for expansion.
A legal dispute has since emerged between the Municipality of Prishtina and the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning, and Infrastructure over the expanded construction area. The dispute followed a complaint from Vetëvendosje Movement municipal assembly members, urging the ministry to annul the municipality’s decision that allowed businesses linked to Devolli to proceed with the expansion.
‘Central Park’ is located near the former Amortizator Factory, which was privatised in 2011 by the brothers Blerim and Shkëlqim Devolli. The shopping centre, located at Prishtina’s Kalabria neighbourhood, now hosts several businesses owned by the Devolli brothers.
The private broadcaster Klan Kosova TV, which is owned by Kushtrim Gojani, also operates within the former factory complex.
Discussions on the Kalabria Detailed Regulatory Plan (2023-2031) began in 2023. In June 2024, the Prishtina Municipal Assembly approved the plan, setting the coefficient for the former Amortizator Factory land at 1.8, meaning that the buildings in the construction area can be 1.8 times taller than the size of the land area in metres squared.
Following this vote, Mayor Përparim Rama shared multiple news reports on Facebook, claiming he was attacked after approving the Kalabria Neighborhood Regulatory Plan.
“When you act in the best interest of citizens rather than for an oligarchic family, a media outlet owned by oligarchs turns into a misinformation platform,” Rama wrote in July 2024.
Allegations of a potential conflict of interest
Arber Sadiki, former Urbanisation director at the Municipality of Prishtina. Photo: Prishtina Assembly
Kallxo.com found potential conflicts of interest in the expansion of the ‘Central Park’ shopping centre.
Arbër Sadiki, former director of the municipality of Prishtina Urban Planning Directorate, who signed the initial decision to redefine construction conditions in 2019, was a shareholder in the company that designed the centre’s initial project, ‘G+A Architect.’
The 2020 construction permit issued by the Municipality of Prishtina, seen by Kallxo.com, explicitly states that the “architectural phase” was carried out by Arbër Sadiki.
Sadiki retained his shares in ‘G+A Architect’ until he became the director for Urban Planning of Prishtina Municipality in 2022. He led the Urban Planning Directorate from January 2022 to July 2024 and currently serves as Director of Spatial Planning.
Four years after the 2019 initial permit, while Sadiki was the urban planning director, the Devolli Corporation submitted a request to redefine the construction conditions for Central Park shopping centre.
The Municipality of Prishtina stated that procedural responsibility “lies with the responsible official handling the case, not the director,” and Sadiki denies any conflict of interest.
“I have no conflict of interest in something I worked on 4–5 years ago. This matter has been clarified, and the Anti-Corruption Agency has closed the case, adding that ‘the director has no decision-making authority when an applicant submits a request,’” Sadiki emphasised.
Prishtina Mayor Përparim Rama, when asked whether Sadiki had been in a conflict of interest, claimed that “everything was done within legal regulations.”
Suspicious addition of over 4,000 square meters of land
Illustration: BIRN/Granit Mavriqi
KALLXO.com’s analysis of construction-related decisions for the ‘Central Park’ shopping centre revealed discrepancies in land parcel records and building areas, and officials offered no additional explanations.
A November 18, 2019 decision listed the total regulated area as around 54,500 square metres, which was formed by merging three parcels.
However, four years later, a July 2023 decision, redefining construction conditions, recorded the regulated area as around 58,700 square meters, an increase of 4,223 square metres compared to 2019.
KALLXO.com found that the 2023 decision did not mention any new parcels beyond those listed in 2019. Additionally, no justification was provided for the additional 4,223 square metres. The most recent decision failed to specify the exact regulated area altogether.
Since 2023, all subsequent decisions on redefined construction conditions have cited the new area of around 58,700 square metres, reflecting an unexplained increase from the original 2019 figure.
After multiple inquiries for clarification, the Municipality of Prishtina told KALLXO.com on December 6, 2024, that “the above-mentioned cadastral parcels have a total area of 58,707 square metres (after harmonisation of textual and graphical parts).”
However, the municipality did not explain why this harmonisation was not conducted before the initial construction conditions were issued in 2019.
Continuous changes in construction area
Illustration: BIRN/Granit Mavriqi
KALLXO.com analysed the initial decision defining construction conditions for ‘Central Park’ and subsequent modifications, uncovering inconsistencies in the designated construction area. These discrepancies ranged from increases of 258 square meters to as much as 1,380 square meters, depending on the decision and its issuance date.
In the November 18, 2019 decision, the approved construction area for above-ground structures was around 24,100 square metres within a total land area of around 54,500 square metres. Based on these conditions, the Municipality of Prishtina issued a construction permit on September 18, 2020, to Blerim Devolli and “Ndërmarrja e Re Amortizatorët.”
The 2020 construction permit authorised 1,723 square metres more above ground than initially approved, along with an additional 998 square metres underground, totaling 2,722 square metres over the 2019 conditions. Authorities did not provide any explanation for this increase.
Further modifications were introduced in a September 29, 2021 decision, which expanded the construction area to around 29,600 square metres (around 27,100 square metres above ground and around 2,500 square metres underground).
On May 23, 2023, co-owners Blerim Devolli, “New Enterprise Amortizatorët – Administrative Building LLC,” and “Faiko LLC,” submitted a request to the Municipality of Prishtina seeking further amendments and an expansion of construction conditions.
Two months later, on July 28, 2023, the municipality approved their request and issued a decision titled “Re-determination of Construction Conditions.”
This decision stated that within the regulatory boundary of around 58,700 square metres, a total of around 52,140 square metres would be constructed, comprising around 20,100 square metres of new buildings and around 32,040 square metres of existing structures. However, it did not clarify why the area of existing structures was recorded as 32,040 square metres—around 2,400 square metres more than the 29,600 square metres specified in the 2021 amendment.
According to the 2023 decision, of the appoximately 20,100 square metres of new construction, around 8,870 square metres were above ground, while around 11,200 square metres underground.
Expansion based on former mayor’s decision
Illustration: BIRN/Granit Mavriqi
The request made by investors to increase the construction area is based on a 2015 decision taken during the tenure of Shpend Ahmeti as Mayor of Prishtina. At that time, Ahmeti was still a member of the Vetëvendosje Movement.
According to the decision secured by KALLXO.com, builders were allowed to increase the construction area by 10 percent while reducing green spaces.
At the time this decision was made, Liburn Aliu—now Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning, and Infrastructure—served as the Director of Urbanism in the Municipality of Prishtina.
Former Urbanism Director Arbër Sadiki has stated that the decision to review construction conditions is legal and based on Ahmeti’s ruling. However, the Ministry has argued that referring to the 2015 decision to utilise more than 40 percent of the parcel contradicts the Urban Development Plan.
Vetëvendosje has requested that the Inspection Directorate halt construction activities on the site.
Mayor of Prishtina Përparim Rama told BIRN and Internews Kosova TV Programme ‘Jeta në Komunë (Life in the municipality),’ on December 22, 2024, that he met with brothers Blerim and Shkëlqim Devolli.
“I have absolutely had them in my office—not just them, but all builders. I have publicly organised and invited them for major projects at two conferences,” Rama stated.
He explained that the Devolli brothers requested that the coefficient for their property be the same as the one proposed for public lands, which was set at seven.
“Their requests were not granted. We proposed a coefficient of seven for public spaces to increase the city’s value. They asked, ‘Why not increase our value too?’ I responded: ‘Because the city’s value allows us to build the capital’s roundabout road (project), the Olympic village, and other major investments for the public good. Whereas for you, the value increase would only benefit you.’ And I stood by that, so they did not accept it,” Rama stated during the “Jeta në Komunë” show on December 18, 2024.
Vetëvendosje’s ‘change of mind’
Following the 2023 decision, the Vetëvendosje Movement’s assembly group lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning, and Infrastructure in October 2023.
On November 22, 2023, the ministry, led by Vetëvendosje’s Liburn Aliu, ruled in favor of the complaint submitted by Gëzim Sveçla, head of Vetëvendosje’s assembly group in Prishtina, and annulled the municipality’s decision from July 28, 2023.
Two months later, on January 22, 2024, the Directorate of Urbanism in Prishtina issued a new decision incorporating the ministry’s ruling while once again re-determining the construction conditions.
While the July 2023 decision had recorded around 32,040 square metres, the January 2024 decision reduced this figure to around 29,600 square metres—a decrease of around 2,400 square metres in just six months.
Vetëvendosje again challenged the decision, appealing to the ministry. In May, 2024, the ministry requested clarifications from the Municipality of Prishtina regarding the re-determination of construction conditions.
While this legal dispute was ongoing, KALLXO.com discovered that the Municipality of Prishtina had been running a parallel process regarding the case. This culminated in the issuance of a construction permit in April 2024. Effectively, while the ministry of environment was still reviewing Sveçla’s appeal against the January 2024 decision, the municipality had already approved a new decision further increasing construction areas at ‘Central Park.’
Notably, the investors submitted a request for “Amendment and Expansion of the Main Construction Project” just ten days after the municipality’s July 2023 decision.
An April 24, 2024, decision by the Directorate of Urbanism stated that the newly added construction area was around 19,800 square metres—around 1,400 square metres less than the area approved around four months earlier, in January.
According to clarifications from the Municipality of Prishtina, the April 2024 decision allowed for the construction of around 49,500 square metres for the shopping center, around 19,800 square meters more than the January 2024 decision.
In July 2024, the ministry declared the Directorate of Urbanism’s decision from January 2024 illegal.
English version prepared by Ardita Zeqiri