Parliamentary committees reviewed and approved on Monday, with only a majority vote, a legal initiative supported by the government, which aims to transfer the tenders of the National Agency for the Information Society, AKSHI, to a joint-stock company with public and private participation.
According to the draft law submitted to the Assembly by Socialist MP Erjon Malaj, the Agency that administers the state digital infrastructure will no longer carry out procurements and conclude contracts for the maintenance of platforms - transferring this task to an ICT company, where the state owns at least 51 percent of the shares.
Opposition MPs opposed the bill and considered it to be motivated by the sensational investigations of the Special Prosecution Office, which revealed the existence of a structured criminal group at the head of AKSHI, accused of controlling tenders worth tens of millions of euros for the state's digital infrastructure, where the defendants include controversial businessman Ergys Agasi and long-time director of AKSHI, Mirlinda Karçanaj.
The opposition also raised questions about the security of sensitive data managed by the agency, concerns that were also articulated, in a milder form, by Socialist MPs.
"If an institution is accused of embezzlement and criminal connections, why isn't an in-depth financial, technical and security audit conducted first?" asked DP MP Jorida Tabaku during a discussion in the Laws Committee, demanding that before tenders are transferred to companies with private participation, transparency is needed regarding their management over the years.
She also raised concerns about ensuring the security of sensitive data from the transfer of critical digital infrastructure, databases, state systems, and communication networks to private management.
"This sets a dangerous precedent," said Tabaku, adding that the initiative also contradicts the European integration process and critical infrastructure management standards in EU countries.
Even in the Committee on Internal Affairs and Defense, the draft law was met with the same concerns.
"There are many big questions related to National Security, because investigations showed that people connected to organized crime have access to sensitive data, or does the application of this model bring less trouble?" - said the MP of the Mundësia party, Erald Kapri, addressed this committee.
The director of this institution, Mirlinda Karçanaj, was charged with the criminal offense of violating equality in tenders, committed in the form of cooperation within a criminal group, alongside Ergys Agas, Ermal Beqiri and several other individuals./ BIRN
