The State Supreme Audit Institution (KLSh) has filed a criminal lawsuit at the prosecution against the Director of the Psychiatric Hospital in Vlora, Kujtim Llapi for causing financial damages of 26 million lekë (€196,000) to the state. The KLSh also asked the Ministry of Healthcare to dismiss the director from his position.
The KLSh states that the current damage to the state budget, based on fraudulent tenders whose contracts were already signed, is 26 million lekë, whereas the maximum future damage from these contracts could be up to 31 million.
Llapi is accused of using a tender procedure called “procurement with negotiation without preliminary declaration,” which may only be used in emergency situations, to hand out tenders to clients for the past three years. The KLSh states that a different public procurement procedure should have been used.
Llapi is also accused of using procurement procedures for services that should have been tendered out by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, and handing out tenders for longer period, up to 4 years, whereas the law stipulates a yearly tender.
The action of the KLSh comes after the publication of its audit over 2014–2016, which showed more than half a billion euro damage caused by a variety of state institutions. Considerably larger damage was done by the National Agency for Natural Resources (19,734,800,000 lekë, ~€148 million) and the Gambling Oversight Authority (50,294,500,000 lekë, ~€378 million). The KLSh has as yet not filed any charges to its respective directors.
