The investigations of the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, are rapidly expanding, revealing a network of abuses in public tender procedures.
Journalist Klodiana Lala, invited to News24's "This Week" show, has revealed new details from SPAK's files, emphasizing that the issue is not limited to the Llogara tunnel or lot 4 of the Tirana Ring Road, but also includes other tenders under investigation.
According to Lala, Balluku's communications were extracted from the mobile phone of the former head of the Albanian Road Authority (ARRSH), Evis Berberi, who is currently under arrest. In these messages, Balluku orders Berberi to cancel open tenders and, in one case, openly tells him: "Open the tender quickly because I'm broke." These instructions, according to SPAK, are not simply normal administrative communications between a minister and a subordinate, but flagrant violations of the law, indicating a direct intervention to predetermine the winners of the procedures.
"Balluku has followed every step of the procedure, from the first moment to the announcement of the winner. This is not normal, it is a manipulation of the equality of competition in tenders," Lala emphasized in the studio.
The investigation into the Llogara tunnel is almost in its final phase, but SPAK has launched new procedures for Lot 4 of the Tirana Ring Road, where the same favoritism scheme is suspected.
“This case will take longer, because SPAK is investigating several other tender procedures of Balluk, including other infrastructure projects,” the journalist explained. Among the evidence collected, SPAK mentions proactive techniques such as wiretapping, environmental surveillance and digital analysis, which indicate that Balluk may have attempted to destroy evidence or intimidate witnesses until the moment when the Special General Court of Appeal (GJKKO) decided to suspend her from office on November 20./NEWS-24
