I feel obliged to write this article to clarify a dangerous lie spread in Albania by SIVA Partners.

Recently, the Albania media has been reporting on a “huge” investment to take place in Albania, and it is to be undertaken by SIVA Partners, LLC. The project is to be called The Millennium Casino and Resort and would be “built” in Vlora or Fier, Albania. Somehow, my name is associated with SIVA Partners and the media even reported that I am one of the “supporters” and “investors” in this project. Nothing can be further from the truth. SIVA, shamelessly, used my name, and even emphasized that fact that I am running for the US Senate, to advance their fraudulent “investment” in Albania.

SIVA Partners is located in New York and is founded by very suspicious characters, including some of them who are illegal aliens in the USA. It is true that Valentino Gurraj, President of SIVA, contacted me and asked to meet . Indeed, I met with him and his “partners,” one of them being Muhamed Ali from Middle East, who also claimed to be the founder and president of SIVA.

During this meeting, they offered to raise funds for my campaign for the United States Senate in the upwards of $200K. They told me that even Donald Trump would be part of this fundraiser as he is involved in SIVA. I thanked them for offering to assist my campaign and left. They asked for nothing in return.

After I left them, I did some research on SIVA Partners and found out that the whole thing is just another Pyramid Scheme waiting to be perpetrated on the Albanian people, especially in the northern part of Albania. I have since detached myself completely from SIVA.

SIVA has no money nor do any of the so called partners, presidents or founders, to invest. No one from SIVA can produce any concrete evidence of any funds they raised for this project or any other projects “completed” by them. Most of the “partners” are recent immigrants from Albania and Middle East, who are very well versed in tricking people into “investing” where “investors” are tricked into putting their funds in phantom projects which never materialize. This one is no different than the 1997 pyramidal schemes perpetrated in Albania.

In this case, what SIVA is trying to do is to convince investors in northern Albania that they have the capital to commence the project in Volara or Fier. They met with a number of prospective investor in Bajze, Koplk, and Shkoder. According to Mr. Gurraj, SIVA representatives met w with Viktor Popaj, the chairman of the Kastrat Commune, who will be in charge of raising funds in the Malesi e Madhe district for the project in Vlora or Fier.

According to a source from SIVA, they are concentrating in raising the funds for the project in northern Albania because they have the money since most families from the north have family members abroad, who would send them money if need be, to invest in Albania. I hope they will not repeat the 1997 mistake.

After and exhaustive search of both national and international data-basis, neither my staff nor I could find any, and I mean any, projects completed by SIVA anywhere in the world. That kind of information is supposed to be public records. But then common sense dictates that the whole thing is a sham. Look at the date SIVA was established. Late 2010! Yet, they built projects allover the world in less than two years.

I contacted Donald Trump’s office, and they categorically denied having anything to do with SIVA. They never heard of SIVA or any of the names listed as SIVA’s partners and executives. They made sense when they told me that “If this SIVA has the billions of dollars they tell people they have, how come they don’t invest in New York or any other parts of USA?” I had no answer for them nor did SIVA when I contacted them a few days after I found out that they had associated my name with SIVA.

And, lastly, don’t forget that the last time Sali Berisha was involved in “projects,” he gave Albania the turmoil of 1997. This time, for some obscure reasons, he is involved with SIVA, according to SIVA’s website. I wonder why? I will leave it up to the readers to decide to draw their conclusions.

Nevertheless, I feel that I have an obligation to caution all the Albanians who would read this article not to trust SIVA Partners with their money. And be careful of things that appear too good to be true, because, mot of the time, they indeed are. And SIVA is a clear illustration of the above expression.