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The silence on the biggest affair in Albania, Bankers Petroleum, why doesn't SPAK take it under investigation?!

2025-09-29 22:09:29Investigim SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The silence on the biggest affair in Albania, Bankers Petroleum, why
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One of the biggest affairs of post-communist Albania is undoubtedly the concession of the largest oil field in Albania, Patos-Marinëz. A huge story of abuse, where the concessionaire company Bankers Petroleum has been amnestied for all violations, at the expense of the very "owners" of the underground, the poor Albanians.

A story that even today, 3 months after the arrest of several executives and former executives of the firm, has still not been revealed. Why are the ministers, directors, and those responsible who allowed this terrible abuse not being investigated? Why are the second-tier banks not being investigated, this firm had several hidden accounts? Why are the subcontractor firms, or as they are also known as the "leeches" of Bankers, not being investigated?

Normally, in a normal country with a democracy and an independent justice system, behind bars or at least under investigation should be dozens, if not hundreds, of people who, through their actions or inactions, have caused the state budget to fail to collect hundreds of millions of euros.

The underground belongs to everyone, where exploitation should be translated into public works. For the good of the community, in building roads, schools or hospitals. But, the wealth of Patos - Marinza has gone into the pockets of a few, in the construction of towers and resorts by those who managed it.

But in this whole situation, there is still a big question mark; why is this big affair not being investigated by SPAK?! A law enforcement body that was created to crack down on the "untouchables", or to eradicate the connections between politics, crime and business. To uncover those thin threads of this triangle, which are often found in the Bankers affair.

The silence of a Constitutional body like the Special Prosecution Office, or the insistence of the Fier Prosecution Office that "we are investigating it," is more like an amnesty for all those officials who have allowed and carried out actions in this entire affair.

It seems that the interests or responsibilities of the "Bankers" file should be in state offices, up to the government. They are also in the offices of the largest second-tier banks, or in the building complexes that are being built with that money. That's why SPAK should have taken it in hand, to "follow the money". Albanians should know where the underground money went and not see 1 or a few executives of the firm behind bars.

Who benefited? Where was the money invested? Are senior politicians responsible?! These are some of the questions that law enforcement agencies must provide exhaustive answers to, if they truly want to get to the bottom of this affair.

VoxNews has continuously denounced that the case is being amnestied by the Fier Prosecutor's Office. To date, no action has been taken against the "collaborators" of the arrested Chinese and Albanians! If so far the prosecution has proven that they have violated the laws of the Albanian state, with great damage to the budget itself, with whom did these private individuals collaborate? Who allowed them to turn over 6 billion euros and issue balance sheets with minimal profits, like a neighborhood market?

The investigations should have extended to the offices that should have controlled this company. But, the managers over the years turned a blind eye and perhaps extended their hands so that this scandal would only continue endlessly, with colossal damage. The investigations have proven that from 2005 to 2025, Bankers has exported crude oil worth 598,581,754,111 lekë. Despite this billions of turnover, the profits have still been in trickle.

The prosecution's file contains dozens of wiretaps of "Bankers" employees, which highlight that the concessionaire kept its accounts active in Albania, but did not deposit money. The firm operated only with the "Raiffeisen Bank" bank, in Albania and then in Austria, "transporting" underground money, in a very suspicious operation.

"Bankers has no bank accounts declared to AKBN or the Tax Administration outside the territory of the Republic of Albania. Telephone interceptions have revealed that one of these accounts is located in Austria at Raiffeisen Bank, but it has not been reported who credits it, in what amounts it credits, what its balances are. Bankers makes preferential payments to several entities here in Albania as well," the prosecution's file states.

Who allowed him to have this account?! Why haven't the investigations been extended to AKBN or even this second-tier bank? Could it be that influences, whether from business, politics or even crime itself, have 'impeded' an investigation by the Fier Prosecutor's Office?!

But, the most scandalous thing is that the Fier Prosecutor's Office does not yet have accurate information on whether it has investigated the fine imposed by the General Directorate of Customs on the Bankers firm on May 13, 2019. The fine was a full 100 million euros and the Minister of Finance at the time, Anila Denaj, suspended it with a very sudden and suspicious decision. Later, the fine was never taken from Bankers, while the first person who should have been investigated was precisely the former minister.

"From the review of the materials, it turns out that we are dealing with a very important and complex problem, both from the figure found and from the time frame. In view of the above, the customs authority should proceed with the suspension of the procedure," Minister Denaj's decision stated. A highly questionable decision-making by a very senior official, especially since Bankers was caught violating the law by evading excise duty on fuel thinners.

So far, many officials have been amnestied and not investigated. A silence that "speaks" more than actions, as in this way an attempt is being made to close one of the biggest scandals with Albanian assets. It seems that everyone has benefited from the underground, and is now waiting for the next political move.

The data coming from the government shows that the Bankers firm is changing ownership, a few months after this coup. Could it be that the entire action had this goal, to remove the Chinese and transfer the source to people trusted by the majority? SPAK must answer this question!

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This article is exclusive to VoxNews, and is copyrighted under Law No. 35/2016, "On Copyright and Related Rights". The article may be republished by other media only by citing VoxNews and placing the source link at the end, otherwise any violator will be held liable under Article 178 of Law No. 35/2016.


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