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Rama traveled to Israel on the private plane that was seized from the former cryptocurrency boss, involved in the FTX scandal

2026-02-05 09:29:08Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Rama traveled to Israel on the private plane that was seized from the former
Prime Minister Edi Rama delivers a speech in the Knesset

Long-haul private jets, used by the global business and political elite, are not just a means of travel. They serve as a metaphor for the gap between the rich and powerful and the rest of society, which waits patiently at the terminal to board a scheduled flight.

In Albania, once an isolated and still poor country – where only a small group of people traveled abroad for decades – the symbolism of using a private plane is stronger, especially when these trips are made by public officials like Prime Minister Edi Rama, often away from the prying eyes of the public.

The long-serving Albanian leader's last trip on a three-day state visit to Israel on the occasion of his participation in the International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism was carried out via the 'Bombardier Global 5000' aircraft, once owned by Sam Bankman Fried, an American entrepreneur convicted of fraud and money laundering.

This is not the first time that Rama has used a private jet for his official trips. For years, he used an Airbus A319-100 in VIP configuration from the flag carrier 'Air Albania', named 'Ismail', in honor of the founder of the Albanian state, Ismail Bey Vlora.

Representatives of the majority argue that the use of a "government plane" for official trips by the prime minister is related to the "dignity" of the Albanian state and its representation in the international arena.

Rama's critics from the opposition think otherwise, emphasizing that the dignity enjoyed by a public official - whether at home or abroad - is not related to the luxury of the means of transportation used by him.

"The dignity of our country, unfortunately, is being violated more and more every day by a corrupt and irresponsible prime minister and government, which have recently also entered into geopolitical adventures for the sake of narrow political interests," said Arlind Qori, head of the Joint Movement.

When asked by BIRN, Rama linked the use of a private plane for his trip to Israel to the issue of security.

“The trip to Israel also had understandable special security elements and transportation was part of these elements,” he said, through a spokeswoman. “The expenses were not covered by the Albanian government,” Rama added, without specifying who had covered them.

The Israeli government did not respond to a request for comment from BIRN on whether it was the one that paid for the Albanian prime minister's flight to Tel Aviv.

A 'historic' visit

Three decades after the fall of the communist regime, which isolated the country for almost half a century, Albania remains one of the poorest countries in Europe, with a per capita income slightly higher than Moldova and Kosovo.

Edi Rama is one of the politicians who has marked the transition period, leading since 2013 as prime minister, while securing an unprecedented fourth term in the 2025 elections.

However, despite its electoral successes, which owe much to the transformation of the Socialist Party into an electoral machine, the Rama-led government has been dogged by allegations of corruption at its highest executive levels – including the indictment of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku for violating equality in tenders.

In the climate of a confrontation between powers over Balluk's immunity, the state visit to Israel represented a golden opportunity for the prime minister to polish his damaged image.

Traveling with the Prime Minister to Israel were his wife, Linda Rama, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Megi Fino, and the head of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH), Vlora Hyseni.

The first stop on the visit to Israel on January 25 was 'Nova Site', near Kibbutz Re'im in southern Israel, the site where the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, killed 378 young people attending a music festival.

On January 26, the Albanian prime minister was hosted in Tel Aviv by his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also facing corruption charges in Israel and is the subject of an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Tribunal for war crimes in Gaza. He has strongly denied both charges.

On the same day, the Albanian prime minister addressed the Israeli parliament in a speech in which he emphasized the historical ties between the two peoples, including the assistance that Albanians provided to the Jewish people during World War II. Pro-government media in Tirana were quick to declare his speech “historic.”

On January 27, Rama participated in an international conference on the fight against anti-Semitism, before returning to his homeland.

According to data from the "Flightradar" application, the "Bombardier Global 5000" aircraft departed from "Mother Teresa" in Rinas on Sunday, January 25, at 10:53 and arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport at 13:55.

The same aircraft traveled on Tuesday, January 27, again to Tirana, where it landed at 8:33 p.m. Immediately after the plane landed at Mother Teresa Airport, Prime Minister Edi Rama's escort was seen leaving the VIP terminal.

The plane of the cryptocurrency multibillionaire

Rama traveled to Israel on the private plane that was seized from the former
Bombardier Global 5000

The Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft with the number "N410AT", registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US, is an 'ultra long range' business jet aircraft, manufactured by the Canadian company Bombardier Aerospace in 2008.

This model is considered one of the most luxurious and capable intercontinental aircraft in its segment. The data of the current owner of the aircraft has been anonymized by the FAA under “Title 49, United States Code, Section 44114,” which is a provision of US federal law that regulates the registration of aircraft in the United States and allows the latter to remain anonymous.

Otherwise, more is known about the previous owners of this aircraft, as the aircraft has been the subject of legal proceedings in the US, following the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, and the arrest of its founder, Sam Bankman Fried, also known by the nickname 'SBF'.

The Bombardier aircraft was purchased by FTX through Trans Island Airways in 2021 for $15.9 million. FTX also owned another private jet, an Embraer Legacy, worth $11.2 million. Both aircraft were seized in 2023.

In March 2024, Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the United States on seven criminal counts of fraud and conspiracy. The founder of the FTX exchange and the investment firm Alameda Research, SBF was one of the key figures in the cryptocurrency market.

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed in November 2022 after allegations of fraud and corruption were revealed, leading to a massive withdrawal of funds from customers. Bankman-Fried was arrested and extradited to the US in December of the same year.

In February 2025, the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York issued a final forfeiture order for SBF's assets, valued at $1 billion, including his two private jets.

Lack of transparency

Private jets occupy a special place in the luxury services market, being a symbol of exclusivity to which very few people can have access.

Rama traveled to Israel on the private plane that was seized from the former
Sam Bankman Fried

The industry saw a huge boost during the global COVID-19 pandemic and has seen strong growth in the years since. According to financial intelligence firm Wing X, it was estimated to be worth $39.8 billion by 2025.

Despite the development of the private flight market, this sector has also attracted criticism due to its environmental impact and high carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

In Albania, the criticism, which has mainly targeted Prime Minister Edi Rama for his use of private jets, has been more grounded. It is largely related to the transparency of public spending on transportation by the head of government.

Since taking over the OSCE Chairmanship for a 1-year period in 2020, the Prime Minister has used an aircraft of the flag carrier "Air Albania" for official trips, benefiting from a framework contract priced at cost per flight hour.

Përdorimi i këtij avioni nga kryeministri dhe shpenzimet për operimin e tij kanë qenë burim akuzash nga opozita e udhëhequr nga Partia Demokratike, e cila ka kërkuar ngritjen e një komisioni parlamentar. Kërkesa e PD-së është hedhur poshtë nga mazhoranca në shkurt 2023.

Në tetor 2025, Këshilli i Ministrave vendosi t’i shpallë sekret të dhënat për udhëtimet e kryeministrit dhe të zyrtarëve të lartë jashtë vendit, duke argumentuar se kjo bëhej për të mbrojtur të dhënat personale.

“Prej atij momenti, qytetarët e kanë humbur të drejtën të dinë se me çfarë mjeti, kostoje apo eskorte udhëton kryeministri i vendit,” shprehet Rigels Xhemollari, drejtues ekzekutiv i “Qëndresa Qytetare”, një organizatë kundër korrupsionit me qendër në Tiranë.

Sipas Xhemollarit, me këtë vendim nuk kemi të bëjmë vetëm me rënien e një standardi etik, por edhe të një standardi demokratik, pasi sipas tij ka humbur llogaridhënia për taksat publike.

“Në momentin që një zyrtar i lartë udhëton me paratë e përbashkëta, ai ka detyrim të publikojë minimalisht kostot dhe kontratat e udhëtimit,” tha ai. “Fakti që kryeministri nuk e bën këtë, nënkupton minimalisht fshehje të kostove dhe maksimalisht abuzim me detyrën,” shtoi Xhemollari.

Falimenti i ‘Air Albania’

Marrëveshjes midis Këshillit të Ministrave dhe kompanisë “Air Albania” për përdorimin e “Ismailit” për fluturime zyrtare i erdhi fundi në dhjetor 2025, pasi kompania ajrore ndaloi së operuari, nën barrën e rreth 50 milionë dollarëve borxhe të akumuluara ndër vite.

Besnik Vathi, themelues i Shoqatës Shqiptare të Turoperatorëve dhe Agjencive Turistike (ATOA), i tha BIRN se falimentimi i Air Albania erdhi si rrjedhojë e faktorëve të jashtëm të tregut dhe menaxhimit të dobët të kompanisë.

Ai theksoi se shumë vende i subvencionojnë kompanitë ajrore të “flamurit”, duke u siguruar fluturime pa konkurrencë në disa destinacione, pasi i konsiderojnë ato shtylla të rëndësishme të zhvillimit të turizmit.

“Ndërsa Air Albania u la të konkurronte në një treg shumë të ashpër – ku prezentë janë Wizz Air dhe Ryanair – dhe u detyrua të punonte në një situatë të vështirë,” tha Vathi. “Menaxhimi ishte anadollak, pa vizion dhe pa koncepte,” shtoi ai, ndërsa theksoi se “pati mungesë vizioni për të krijuar një kompani të suksesshme.”

Ndryshe, kreu i Lëvizjes Bashkë, Arlind Qori, fajëson qeverinë për falimentimin e kompanisë ajrore të flamurit.

“E konsideroj, së paku, politikisht përgjegjës Edi Ramën,” tha ai, ndërsa rikujtoi se vite më parë kryeministri e trumbetonte themelimin e saj si histori suksesi.

Qori ishte gjithashtu kritik për përdorimin e fluturimeve “charter” nga Kryeministria.

“Përdorimi i çarterave privatë është shpërdorim i shpenzimeve nga buxheti i shtetit vetëm për hir të komoditetit të lëvizjes së një kryeministri, i cili në parim, duhet të ishte kryeshërbyesi i popullit, por në fakt përditë e më shumë ka një stil jetese luksoz, në sinkron me autokratët e të shkuarës dhe të tashmes nëpër botë,” tha ai.

“Luxury is the antithesis of democracy, which, where it flourishes, goes hand in hand with simplicity in the public appearance of high state officials and with thrift in government spending,” he added.

Xhemollari also believed that the use of private flights by the Albanian government did not honor the reputation of the prime minister.

“[Parliament Speaker Niko] Peles' justification for 'dignified representation', or the prime minister's for advertising the airline, now bankrupt, are propaganda shadows to justify the luxury of private jet travel,” he said.

"It would be dignified for a poor country like Albania if it traveled like any citizen of this republic, on planes used by those who pay taxes in this country, and not like a drug baron or the leader of dictatorial countries," Xhemollari concluded./ reporter.al

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