DP denounces: the Deputy Minister of Education receives the tender of hundreds of millions of lek without competition

The spokesperson for Anti-corruption in DP, Genta Vangjeli, denounced that the Deputy Minister of Education, Albana Tole, has received a tender of hundreds of millions of lek for her private company.

Vangjeli explained that since the tender was received without competition.

The Democratic Party demanded that Tole resign and return the money immediately.

FULL STATEMENT

In bulletin no. 60, July 3, 2023, the Ministry of Defense announces the winner of the tender with the object "Purchase of materials for genius", with a fund of 66.6 million lek, the union of operators, which includes the company "Tirana Due shpk.

For this procedure, the fact that only 1 bid was submitted stands out, creating reasonable doubts that the qualifying criteria and technical specifications in the tender documents are drawn up in such a way as to predetermine the announced winner.

The Ministry of Defense with its actions creates conditions to suspect that competition is artificially narrowed in violation of at least Article 2 and 3 of Law No. 162/2020 on public procurement, which provides:

c) promoting the participation of economic operators in public procurement procedures;

ç) promotion of competition between economic operators;

The Ministry of Defense for this procedure announced the winner of the sole bidder worth 64.3 million lek or almost 97% of the limit fund.

We inform the public that in active possession of the shares of this company, the owner with 15% is the Deputy Minister of Education Albana Tole in this position from November 2021.

Was the Contracting Authority that announced the winner for the above procurement aware of this fact?

From the transactions of the Treasury, it results that during the year 2022 and 2023 Tirana Due shpk, where the deputy minister is also an active owner, has benefited 555,306,360 million old lek, all from the Ministry of Defense (Military Department No. 4300 Tirana).

Article 27 points B and C of Law No. 9367 ON THE PREVENTION OF CONFLICT OF INTERESTS IN THE EXERCISE OF PUBLIC FUNCTIONS states:

Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister and Deputy Minister:

b) cannot exercise private activity that generates income in the form of a natural commercial person,

partnerships of natural commercial persons of any form

c) nuk mund të zotërojnë në mënyrë aktive aksione ose pjesë të kapitalit të një shoqërie tregtare, pavarësisht nga fusha e veprimtarisë së saj.

Si mundet atëherë të ushtrojë detyrë shtetërore pronarja e shoqërisë tregtare Tirana Due shpk?

Znj. Tole para marrjes së detyrës së zv ministres duhet ose të ishte vetë përjashtuar shoqëria tregtare ose të refuzonte detyrën shtetërore.

Çfarë mund të kërkojë qeveria nga të tjerët sa u takon standardeve, kur zyrtarët e lartë janë të parët që nuk zbatojnë dispozitat ligjore, por përfitojnë sa dhe ku munden nga influenca e funksionit publik që ushtrojnë.

Zv. ministria e Arsimit duhet të japë menjëherë dorëheqjen nga funksioni publik dhe të kthejë vlerën 555.306.360 milion lekë të vjetra, të përfituara nga shoqëria ku bën pjesë aktive si aksionere.

The formula do as we say, but don't do as we do, is the slogan of thieves, not citizens.