The Special Prosecution Office has closed the investigations into the concession procedure for the Tirana incinerator, while investigations into the implementation of the contract continue. SPAK accuses 13 people of criminal offenses of corruption and abuse of office for the incinerator, among them high-ranking officials such as former Minister of Environment Lefter Koka, former SP MP Alqi Bllako and 2 former directors of the Tirana Municipality. In July last year, 8 other arrest warrants were issued for several businessmen and employees of the Integrated Energy company, who are accused of laundering 20 million euros, together with Mirel Mërtiri and Klodian Zoto.
The Sequestered and Confiscated Property Agency has found only 40 thousand euros in the coffers of the Tirana incinerator, while the value of the investments made in the Sharra landfill according to the company’s records was 23.3 million euros, out of 140.9 million euros with VAT that should have been the full investment. During the years of operation, until July 2023, the concessionaire had collected 105 million euros from the municipalities of the Tirana district, with the capital’s municipality having the majority with 66 million euros and the rest from private individuals who deposited inert materials.
“From the confirmation provided by the Agency for the Administration of Sequestered and Confiscated Assets, it results that the value of investments made and reported to the Contracting Authority until July 31, 2023 by the concessionaire company ‘Integrated Energy’ is 23.3 million euros out of 140.9 million euros, which is the total value of investments to be made in reference to the construction permit. The company has made only 18% of the investments,” the SPAK file states.
The financial data of the 2023 balance sheet filed by the state administrator, the seized company “Integrated Energy” results in 24 million euros of liabilities in the form of unpaid loans and taxes, while another 23 million euros have been withdrawn as prepayments. In 2023, Integrated Energy realized revenues worth 15 million euros, of which 40% or 6.1 million euros was net profit. If this profit margin were used with the 140 million euros of receipts that the Tirana incinerator has received to date, taking into account investments and prepayments, 50 million euros would result missing!
Where did the money end up?!
SPAK has not been efficient in finding the money and despite tracing several transactions made to the parent company in the Netherlands “Geogenix”, as well as a value of 28 million euros which was invoiced by the company “Integrated Technology Services” of Klodian Zoto for works on the incinerator, but that the contract that this company had with Integrated Energy was 2 times less, 15 million euros. There were also discrepancies with several payments made by the Tirana incinerator to the company ‘ITS’ of Klodian Zoto. Traces of payments have also been found to Bulgaria, Lithuania, Portugal and Turkey, while a bank in England has refused to make the transactions.
“From the administered acts, it results that the concessionaire company ‘Integrated Energy’ transferred considerable amounts to the Dutch company ‘Geogenix BV’ in the bank accounts that this company has opened in the states of Turkey and Lithuania. To justify the transfer of monetary amounts from the concessionaire company to the bank accounts of the Dutch company ‘Geogenix BV’, fictitious invoices were used, based on a contract concluded on June 28, 2022 between ‘Integrated Energy’ and ‘Gegogenix BV’, where the latter undertakes the supply of a smoke treatment device in the total value of 3.2 million euros, 6 months from the date of signing. The device has not arrived and the smoke treatment is carried out as a process after the incinerator starts operating,” the SPAK file states.
Investigations show that Mërtiri and Zoto used part of the money they received from the Tirana incinerator to finance the works of the Fier incinerator. In some cases, they even had problems with payments, where after receiving the contract for the Tirana incinerator, they decided to postpone the party they were going to hold in Sardinia, Italy.
“We can’t remove Hastoç because it’s our own money that we’ve been using for 3 weeks and we can’t delay it any longer. Remove China and Sardinia and you’re fine. When the other money comes in, we’ll go to China, Sardinia has time. Thank you,” says an email that Mërtiri communicates with employees.
At another moment, Mirel Mërtiri refuses to increase salaries for staff.
“Chuna, with all my great desire to give endless money to these people, I remind you that I don’t cut them with scissors.”
While in other episodes, employees’ salaries are cut for not respecting working hours.
“Hello, for not implementing the following email, all employees of the company ‘S&E’ will have their salary for the month of July deducted by 10,000 lek. All the best,” another email states.
Agreement with the Municipality of Tirana
After payments from the Municipality of Tirana began, the situation changed and the income for the concession increased due to an agreement that 3 directors of the Municipality of Tirana, Ermal Kapllanaj of the Municipal Police, Taulant Tusha of the Public Works Directorate and Chief Inspector of the Environment Evisjon Salku, signed with Giusepe Ciaffalgione, the administrator of the Tirana incinerator, to regulate the commercial activity of soil processing.
“The purpose of this agreement is cooperation and coordination between the Municipal Police in function of its role in monitoring and controlling the territory, the State Inspectorate of Environment, Water Forests and Tourism in Tirana as the institution with competences for identifying, controlling and taking administrative measures for violators, and the concession company ‘Integrated Energy’ as responsible, based on the concession contract, for the management of all categories of waste deposited in Sharra,” the agreement states.
The agreement contradicts the contract since the Municipality of Tirana is not a contracting authority and it is not in its power to spend human resources to increase the concession’s income. On the other hand, the entire scope of action for setting tariffs for inert waste and soils was left to the whims of the duo Mirel Mërtiri and Klodian Zoto.
Initially, the fee was set at 4 euros per cubic meter for soils and 10 euros per cubic meter for aggregates, then these prices were revised, making discounts for companies that deposited large quantities. All construction firms were obliged to deposit soils near the Sharra landfill and pay the fee to the Integrated Energy company, otherwise they were penalized by the Municipal Police or the Territory Protection Inspectorate.
Mirel Mërtiri initially created a separate unit within the concession with employees who would be specifically responsible for tracking all the pits that would be dug for buildings in Tirana, checking the system of permits that were issued, and then verifying whether they had a contract with the company ‘Integrated Energy’. Here is what results from an email that Mirel Mërtiri’s secretary sent to the employees of the Sharra landfill.
“Employees should be provided with notebooks and pens to take notes during the observation hours, license plates and take photos. They should read the contracts with the subjects and make any information available to them. The entire list of objects open for construction in Tirana should be marked and documented in a separate file. The information sent by the guys in charge of making the observations should be processed. During the progress of the work, if necessary, suggestions and proposals should be made to improve the observation process. A person in charge will be appointed for each object that has an agreement.”
Another employee of the Sharra landfill gave this testimony to the Special Prosecution Office:
“After January 2020, I was involved in monitoring companies operating in the construction sector that had signed agreements with ‘Integrated Energy’ for the disposal of waste, mainly soil and inert materials, in the Sharra landfill. The monitoring process consisted of several stages. First, the official email of the concessionaire company received emails from companies that expressed interest in the disposal of waste. After signing the contract with the company that had made the request, the monitoring process continued with on-site observation of regularity and monitoring whether the waste was deposited in the Sharra landfill or dumped elsewhere. If it was deposited in other places, I communicated it to the contacts at the Tirana Municipal Police and the contacts at the Territory Protection Inspectorate. With companies that did not implement the agreement, the agreement was terminated, while the Municipal Police and the Territory Protection Inspectorate took administrative measures such as various fines.”
In several emails from employees of the Integrated Energy company, it appears that Mirel Mërtiri, together with Klodian Zoto, set the land prices.
“Hello, please, the company “Ferro Beton & Construction. Co” for which we will proceed with the confirmation, requests to bring inert waste in addition to soil and pumice. Should we give the price for inerts 20 Euro/ton excluding VAT or the price of 1000 lek/ton excluding VAT that we also give to the company “Gjikuria”? – Arjola Kodra asked in an email to Mirel Mërtiri, who specifies that this was the price for all companies at that moment.
In some cases, price discounts are made for certain clients, as is the case with the Municipality of Tirana.
“Good morning Mirel, we have just received a request from the Municipality of Tirana for support regarding the disposal of inert materials that will come from the demolition of the existing Municipal Police building and other warehouses located there, and the soil that will come from digging the pit for the construction of the new building. The works will be carried out by the company ‘Arlis Ndërtim’ as a gift to the Municipality of Tirana. The Municipality has asked us to support them by enabling the disposal of inert materials and soil free of charge, as a gift for the construction of the new Municipal Police building.” informs her boss Arjola Kodra again.
Another employee, Denisa Tollkuçi, makes the same request.
“Hello, I was just informed that the entity ‘Igor Elektrik’, which will deposit inert waste on behalf of the Municipality of Tirana, will start deposits the next day. Thank you,” Tollkuçi writes.
In both cases it turns out that Mërtiri approved the deposition.
“Continue as agreed with the municipality…”
There are exceptions in other cases as well.
The documents show that Arjola Kodra wrote to Mërtir about other cases of companies involved.
“Hello, the entity “Edil AL-IT” has requested to deposit waste from the completion of buildings on Ndre Mjeda Street, Alba Residence and Namazgja Mosque. The deposit schedule has not been presented since there is a small amount of inert and urban waste, as you were informed from the field visit. Shall we proceed with a contract or continue with deposit against payment by tax coupon?”
Klodian Zoto responds that the soil disposal would be free for the company.
“Continue with the deposit and inform them about the quantities that, since we are dealing with a religious cult building, it will be done for free, that is, as a gift from society. Only for the remains of the mosque.”
Some showed their muscles, especially when there were doubts that they were not depositing the entire amount of soil.
“Hello! Below is the email received from the entity “Salillari” for the 7 Xhuxhat parking project, subcontracted by the Municipality of Tirana. This entity has not sent the complete documentation (construction permit, deposit schedule) and confirmation of the presence of a representative of ‘Integrated Energy’ at the construction site for a visit. I was informed that the deposits will start tonight at 21:00. How will we proceed?” – asks Enigert Mita.
Mërtiri responds to this email by asking Zoto to clarify the agreement.
“I don’t like that this continues from p… yet..The scrapyard peasant also does p…. Tell me, God, what you said…” – writes Mërtiri.
If there was resistance, the contract was terminated and the companies were punished by the Municipal Police or the Territorial Protection Inspectorate.
“We had a meeting with Merkaj. I declared the quantity as 15,000 tons, but for anyone to stay in my yard, forget it. Continue to stay in the shadows as you have been and don’t wake up these environmentalists in the middle of the night. Don’t make it too much because we are Albanians and they clash and honk their horns. The tone was calm, but the message was given.” – Ilirjan Prifti informs his boss.
Mirel Mërtiri approves the actions and orders the termination of the contract.
There were also favoritism in the lists of companies that were found to be debtors, and there was even an internal order for this.
“Regarding the depositors of the soil for the companies MPI and Alesio, the maximum cash without clearing allowed will be 5 million lek. For Ferro Beton, Nardi will bring the payment forms and method. All other operators except Inerti shpk will be blocked if the value of the obligation exceeds 500 thousand lek. The companies Rei Ak, Nobi and Agicons are not included in the above situation (they continue as before),” the documents state.
At the height of the Special Prosecution’s investigations into the Tirana incinerator affair, during 2023, when Mirel Mërtiri and Klodian Zoto were wanted, it turned out that they and their people continued to manage the landfill, even taking money from the land fee, which was not invoiced, but was taken ‘in cash’ with the help of an employee of the Integrated Energy company, who handed it over to a contact person of Mirel Mërtiri and who then sent it to Mërtiri himself.
From March 21, 2023 to June 21, 2023, 500 thousand euros have been sent. It is estimated that approximately 50 million euros have been collected from the disposal of soils, while the capacities of the Sharra landfill are nearing exhaustion and additional budgetary funds may be needed. To date, 90 million euros have been paid from the state budget and approximately 50 million euros from private entities for this concession, where the incinerator does not exist.
Ola Xama është gazetare në fushën e ekonomisë prej 15 vitesh, e fokusuar së fundi në zhanrin e analizave dhe investigimeve. Është autore e emisionit investigativ ‘Kronos’ në MCN Tv, dhe më parë ka punuar si gazetare në fushën e ekonomisë në televizionet Euronews Albania, Klan Tv dhe Vizion Plus. Është autore e dhjetra investigimeve që lidhen me financat, pastrimin e parave dhe abuzimet e autoriteve publike me qytetarët. Është diplomuar pranë Universitetit të Tiranës në degën Gazetari dhe ka përfunduar studimet master në të njëjtën degë.