Vetting show
In September 2025, the Tirana Regional Distribution System Directorate would open the tender for the supply of electricity to the first technological park in Albania, Durana Tech Park. In October of the same year, the winner would be announced, to provide electricity to the residents and employees of the park, which is owned by the Albanian Investment Corporation, a public company headed by Elira Kokona.
The problem with the tender is related to the fact that the physical technology park does not exist, not even a single brick has been laid, while the OSSH, led by Blendian Dalipi, is tendering funds for a phantom park.
Documents obtained by Vetting show that the tender for the park that exists only on paper is the first experiment in the world, where Albania has created a virtual technology park with zero taxes and customs exemptions. This park is serving as a fiscal amnesty for people linked to corrupt segments of the Albanian government who are wanted by SPAK. These people are part of SPAK’s file for tenders of the National Agency for the Information Society (AKSHI), who are accused of bid rigging and fictitious invoices.
Durana Tech Park, fiscal amnesty for the AKSHI group
One month after the establishment and registration of the park, on March 18, 2025, the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Culture, Blendi Gonxhja, signed the agreement with the Albanian Investment Corporation for the virtual "inauguration" of "Durana".
Durana Tech Park is a designated area of state land in the Durrës Region, which has been granted for development to the Albanian Investment Corporation to build and administer a technology park.
The park is expected to house offices, buildings and companies that operate within that territory, with fiscal incentives.
According to the Council of Ministers' Decision number 73, dated January 29, 2025, it is written that these fiscal incentives for the developer, which in this case is the Corporation, and for the users will begin to apply from the date of commencement of economic activity in the park, whether in the virtual or hybrid operation phase.
The decision clearly states that the first phase, the virtual one, will start within three months of signing the agreement, while the first call for users would be from the date of the start of the first phase of development or operation of this park. As for the hybrid phase (virtual and physical), the start date should be no later than three months from obtaining the infrastructure use permit. The law treats Durana Tech Park as a physical territory and not as an online platform. However, the Albanian Investment Corporation, led by Elira Kokona, released a video in early January 2026 to explain how the park operates.
According to the administrator of Durana Tech Park Florensa Kovaçi (Haxhi), the park is only operating virtually. In fact, in the previous statement, the administrator Kovaçi stated that the companies are registered in the special tax regime, being exempted from taxes. These companies are active and according to law no. 58/2022 benefit from fiscal incentives and customs exemptions.
The clarifying statement from the Albanian Investment Corporation came after a scandal broke out in the media that people with SPAK files and relatives of high-ranking Albanian government officials had registered with companies in the park. The registration was even made at a time when the park had not been built, but in fact the technology park, according to the Corporation and according to the law, operates virtually.
The scandal was related to the list of persons who are exempt from taxes and who currently operate in the virtual park. According to IT expert Besmir Semanaj, launching the project virtually is wrong because we lack innovation.
"Unfortunately, the Albanian budget will lose a lot of the profits of these companies, which have been on the market for decades and are now consolidated companies. So, we are not dealing with start-ups, which need support from state institutions and need fiscal relief," expert Semanaj told "Vetting".
"Vetting" made an official request to the Albanian Investment Corporation for the list of businesses that have registered in the technology park.
In response, the institution stated that businesses operating in the park can be found at the Durana Tech Park address at the National Business Center.
The list of businesses includes Ergys Agasi, a resident of Durana Tech Park with the company "Test & Tech", accused by SPAK of kidnapping, illegal competition through violence and money laundering as a criminal group for AKSHI tenders, wanted by justice.
Ermal Beqiri, resident at Durana Tech Park with the company "Datastorm", under indictment by SPAK and wanted by the judiciary.
Gëzim Hoxha, resident in Durana Tech Park with the companies "Box Artificial Logic" and "CyberMind Labs", under indictment by SPAK for AKSHI tenders and brother of Albania's ambassador to the United Nations, Ferit Hoxha.
Andis Papa, resident in Durana Tech Park with the company "Quantech", under indictment by SPAK for fictitious invoices in the AKSHI case.
All 4 of these individuals are in the same case for the National Agency for Information Society tenders affair, where the director of the National Agency for Information Society, Mirlinda Karçanaj, is under house arrest for pre-fixing tenders as an organized group.
According to economic expert Enriko Ceko, in these projects more focus is placed on the facade.
"What is generally noticed in projects of this nature is that there is a rush to create a huge propaganda campaign in the media, regarding the image of what will be done, in order to justify both the action and the claims, the benefits that will come from the realization of the project," expert Ceko told "Vetting".
