A slaughterhouse reconstructed with public money, but never put into operation, is now being offered for rent by the Municipality of Tropoja. The facility in Shudenica, for which around 12.7 million lek were spent excluding VAT, failed to obtain a license to operate, as it did not meet the conditions. Now the Municipality is seeking to rent it for five years, with an initial value of 20,313 lek per month.
But the questions about this investment start with the tender. In 2022, the Municipality of Tropoja opened the procedure for the "Reconstruction of the Shudenica slaughterhouse and the construction of the livestock market", with a limited fund of about 131 thousand euros. Only the merger of the companies "Ouen" and "Trajler" participated in the competition, which was declared the winner without having any competitors in the competition.
“Trailer” is owned by Anila Byberi, reported to be a relative of the mayor, Rexhë Byberi. The company has also won other public contracts during his tenure. This connection, combined with the lack of other bidders, raises questions about competition and the way the procedure was conducted.
The Supreme State Audit Office has also found irregularities in the tender in its 2025 report. According to the SAI, the Bid Evaluation Commission declared the winner an economic operator that did not meet the qualification criteria set out in the tender documents. The SAI attributes this violation to the members of the commission, including MK, and notes that no disciplinary action was taken against him.
The report also mentions another member of the commission, with the initials AM, for the same procedure.
Today, the facility that was reconstructed with public funds is not being used for the purpose for which it was invested. The Municipality's announcement stipulates that the slaughterhouse will be leased for five years, with an initial monthly offer of 20,313 lek. An investment of at least 1 million lek is also required for the future tenant.
So to sum it up, millions of lek spent on a slaughterhouse that never started operating, a tender where the winner was declared without competition and went to the mayor's relative's company, and a finding by the KLSH for not meeting criteria. Now the facility is back on the market as a rental property.
This case adds to VNA's previous denunciations of Tropoja Municipality tenders and the question marks that accompany them.
