An Albanian news website publishes about a scam in the Albanian industry, involving a large greenhouse. According to cna.al, funds of a Tirana incinerator, vanished through prepayments, loans, and unpaid debts, totalling around 26 million euros. Despite significant revenue, only 30 million euros were invested, raising questions about the missing funds' whereabouts.
The Tirana incinerator concession company, Integrated Energy BV, made a prepayment of approximately 11.3 million euros to Klodian Zoto's ITS company in 2022 for work at the Tirana landfill, which was never completed. Subsequently, Zoto's company was seized by SPAK, resulting in the loss of the prepayment.
This prepayment was one of several financial movements by Integrated Energy BV, which caused tens of millions of euros to vanish from the company through prepayments, loans to other companies, or outstanding debts.
In addition to the prepayment to ITS, Integrated Energy BV also prepaid sums to other entities, totaling approximately 13.6 million euros, for work that was never executed. The company also provided loans to connected parties, such as Elton Bualli, for projects like a greenhouse near the Sharra landfill.
Furthermore, the company left over 12 million euros in uncollected debts, primarily from builders who deposited soil and inerts in the landfill, some of which might have been cleared as properties in Tirana by individuals associated with the incinerator.
These financial transactions amount to approximately 26 million euros, most of which are unlikely to be recovered as the company is now under state administration. The largest loss was the advance payment to ITS, which is irrecoverable due to the company's confiscation.
The Tirana incinerator concession has incurred significant costs to Albanian taxpayers, totaling approximately 73 million euros since its inception. Municipalities in the Tirana and Durrës districts paid nearly 7.5 billion lek for waste disposal fees, with additional revenue from builders.
Despite receiving over 100 million euros in revenue, the company invested only around 30 million euros. Questions persist regarding the whereabouts of the incinerator funds, with incomplete answers from SPAK. While Mirel Mërtiri cited total expenses of 71 million euros, the company's balance sheet indicates that funds were siphoned off by those in control and potentially used for illicit purposes.
Read the complete article at cna.al