From: Exit Staff
Special Prosecution Issues 12 Arrest Warrants over Incinerator Conctracts

The Special Prosecution against Corruption (SPAK) has issued 12 arrest warrants in relation with the Tirana and Fier waste incinerator contracts.

The arrest warrants target employees of the private companies holding the concession contracts, including Ariola Kodra, the administrator of Integrated Energy BV SVP that holds the Tirana incinerator.

So far, SPAK had focused its investigations into the incinerators of Fier and Elbasan, but Kodra’s arrest suggest the scope of the investigation has been widened.

The police have also detained Loran Dusha, director of the Fier incinerator company, and Florian Muça, a manager at the state-owned Albpetrol, a petroleum production and marketing company.

According to preliminary reports, no senior officials or politicians are part of the arrests.

The incinerator scandal saw public contracts awarded to new companies with no experience in waste management, with the same individuals behind them. The contracts obligated the Albanian government to pay for every day that the incinerators were not operational, including while they were being built. This led to significant delays while the companies pocketed millions.

The arrests come after Jorida Tabaku, the chairwoman of the inquiring commission into the incinerator scandal, sent a letter to SPAK asking for an update on the investigation.

The inquiry produced two reports, one by the Socialist members of the commission, and a 120 page by the opposition which claims to provide evidence for legal violations, abuse of office, corruption schemes, tax evasion schemes through a network of fake companies, and money laundering schemes.

Tabaku’s report  maintains that contracts for incinerators amounting to at least €430 million in public money were awarded to the same people without competition, in violation of several laws, and in coordination with number of ministries and other agencies.

The Albanian parliament rejected the opposition report and approved a second one by the ruling majority claiming a successful reform in waste management.

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