Following the Francesco Becchetti case, where Albania lost and was forced to pay 130 million euros, the country is facing another seizure decision. Omni Bridgeway, a litigation financier, has been granted the right by a federal court in Washington to seize assets belonging to Albania abroad.

The reason is related to an arbitration award of about $13 million in favor of GBC Oil, a company with Albanian and American owners. This decision concerns a conflict that has lasted almost a decade, started after the increase in taxes on oil concessions, when the company Stream Oil initially received permission to exploit several oil fields and then changed ownership several times until GBC Oil.

In 2017, the oil fields were recombined by Albpetrol, after the company claimed that GBC Oil had not fulfilled its obligations and had large debts to the state. GBC Oil appealed to the International Court of Arbitration in Switzerland, and in 2020 won $12.7 million in compensation. The decision was later confirmed by the US court in Washington, but Albania has taken no steps to enforce it.

Therefore, Omni Bridgeway asked the court for permission to take action against Albanian assets abroad, using the same provision that was used in the case of Albcontrol and Becchetti. The court approved the request and following this decision, Albania is expected to lose money or assets abroad to comply with the arbitration award, putting itself under financial and legal pressure again.

This case shows that international decisions, especially those on taxes and oil concessions, can have direct consequences for state assets, especially when the country does not comply with court decisions. Albania now faces the urgent need to find a legal solution to avoid the confiscation of sovereign assets.