Arbër Abazi, one of the well-known businessmen, appeared today at SPAK premises to testify in connection with the ongoing investigations against former Deputy Prime Minister, Belinda Balluku.
Abazi's position in this file is reinforced by his family ties to the former minister, as he is the cohabitant of her aunt's daughter.
Meanwhile, his company, "Alko Impex Construction", turns out to have been the beneficiary of a series of tenders at the Ministry of Infrastructure during the period when this department was headed by Balluku, procedures which are under the scrutiny of the investigation for suspicions about the predetermination of the winners.
The businessman's name has come to light especially during the investigations into the construction procedures of Lot 7 of the Tirana Outer Ring Road, where the winner was announced as the merger of operators "Alko-Impex General Construction" and "2T" sh.pk.
However, the Ring Road tender constitutes only one piece of the mosaic of hundreds of public contracts that Arbër Abazi, the nephew of former SP MP Sadri Abazi, has secured through his companies, "Alko Impex Construction" and "Alko Impex General Construction SHPK".
"Alko Impex", a tender empire
According to "Open Data" data, "Alko Impex Construction" ranks sixth on the list of companies that have benefited the most from public funds from 2015 to date. On the other hand, the entity "Alko Impex General Construction SHPK" ranks thirteenth, with a turnover of 23 billion lek. Over the last 12 years, these two companies have benefited from over 106 million euros in payments executed by the State Treasury.
The scope of these businesses is wide, including almost all procurement institutions: from the country's municipalities, to the Albanian Road Authority (ARRSH), the Albanian Development Fund (FSHZH) and health institutions.
Dominance in the municipality and the "monopoly" of cleaning
At the local level alone, the two Abazi companies have been declared winners in 35 tenders, not counting the procedures in which they participated in cooperation with other operators. An almost monopolistic dominance is observed in the cleaning services sector in the vast majority of the country's municipalities. Some of the most prominent cases include:
Kavajë Municipality (2022): Tender with the object "Cleaning service of the city of Kavajë and the Administrative Units of Synej, Luz i Vogël and Helmas", worth 5.5 billion lek.
Kavaja Municipality (2025): Tender with the object "Cleaning service of the Golem Administrative Unit", worth 3.3 billion lek.
Himara Municipality (2025): Tender with the object "Cleaning of the Administrative Units of Himara, Hora, Vranisht", worth 2.5 billion lek.
The companies in question have also secured victories in tenders with values exceeding 2 billion lek in the municipalities of Shkodër, Vlorë, Vora and Elbasan.
Contracts with ARA: Tenders under the ministry's jurisdiction
Abazi's companies have also been successful in the competitions held by the Albanian Road Authority, an institution under the ministry once headed by Belinda Balluku. Research shows that these companies have won 16 tenders from the ARRSH by competing alone, without including procedures in the merger of operators. All these procedures amount to over 1.5 billion lek, and among the most important are:
2020: Tender for performance maintenance (Shirgjan-Kaçivel-Drizë, Mjekës-Uzinë, Elbasan-Gjinar, Gramsh-Kodovjat-Mollë Grabovë, Drizë–Poroçan), worth 3 billion lek.
2020: Tender for performance maintenance (K/Sauk-Sanatorium, Sauk-Km 29-rot. new Shijon-Zaranikës Bridge, etc.), worth 2.6 billion lek.
2022: Lot 7 of performance maintenance (Cërrik-Shalës-Belsh-Vlashuk, etc.), worth 1.9 billion lek.
2025: Lot 2 of performance maintenance (Gramsh-Mollë Grabovë etc.), worth 1.7 billion lekë.
ADF and the Reconstruction Program
At the Albanian Development Fund, Arbër Abazi has secured five tenders, mainly in collaboration with other operators. Among them, the following stand out:
2020: "Centers of Excellence for Regional and Local Development" procedure, worth 5 billion lek.
2025: "Investments for the Transformation of public assets with development potential into models of the highest development standard, Lot 3 - Saranda Tourism Development Pole Phase 2", worth 3.3 billion lek.
Also, through the reconstruction program, "Alko Impex General Construction" has benefited from:
Reconstruction of the “Niko Hoxha” kindergarten, Valias, worth 880 million lekë. Construction of the road network and urban infrastructure in Marikaj, Vora Municipality, worth 449 million lekë.
Reconstruction of residential units in the Laç 1/2 area, Package A, Kurbin Municipality, worth 6.9 billion lek.
Tenders in healthcare
Funds from health institutions have also gone to Arbër Abazi's companies. In one case, the company won by competing alone, while in two others as a consortium of operators.
2016: Reconstruction of the emergency room and heating system, Librazhd Hospital, worth 120 million lek.
2025 (through the Centralized Purchasing Operator): Reconstruction of the Plastics and Incineration building in QSUNT, Tirana, worth 5.2 billion lek.
2025: Reconstruction of the central building of Pogradec Hospital, worth 2.9 billion lek.
These multi-million contracts raise serious questions about the method of selecting the winners, as in many procedures it turns out that the best offers were disqualified or the competition was held without real competition. Was there favoritism due to the close ties between the businessman and former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku? This now remains in the hands of SPAK to be clarified.
