Nearly 20 government officials have been arrested in the last two months, mainly over procurement irregularities.
Charges including theft and abuse of office have been filed against six former officials from Albpetrol and Armo, two state-owned oil companies in Albania, police and prosecutors said on Wednesday (October 3rd).
All four executives from Albpetrol, including former executive director Fatos Nika, already have been arrested. The two former Armo executives are still being sought by police.
Prosecutors say they have evidence of public procurement irregularities, including the favouring of certain construction companies. The fraud caused "considerable financial budget damage", they add. In the Armo case, 30 questionable procurement procedures were found to have taken place during 2006. The wrongdoing at Albpetrol goes back further. Evidence of it turned up in the company's internal audit controls for 2005-2006.
After 17 years of transition, corruption remains one of the biggest problems afflicting public life in Albania, not to mention the country's economy. According to Transparency International, it is the most corrupt country in Southeastern Europe. The group ranked Albania 105th this year, out of 180 countries worldwide.
Over the past two months, police have arrested 17 senior government officials on corruption charges. The highest-ranking suspect is Nikolin Jaka, formerly transport minister in the government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha. He is among six executives and two shareholders from construction companies thought to have been engaged in dubious business practices.
Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha also is being investigated in connection with his earlier tenure as transport minister. Prosecutors say they are tracking irregularities in the procurement process for the Durres-Kukes road -- Albania's largest investment in decades. (SETimes)
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