The Democratic Party has raised allegations regarding the 15 million euro tender for the purchase of three firefighting aircraft, demanding the immediate cancellation of the procedure and the launch of an investigation by SPAK.

The spokesperson for the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Democratic Party, Genta Vangjeli, stated that the documents made public in the media raise doubts about the winning company, which according to her is involved in legal proceedings in Spain related to tender manipulation and corruption in the firefighting aircraft sector.

Vangjeli states that these circumstances conflict with the legal criteria for procurement in the field of defense and security and demands verification of responsibilities.

Statement by the Spokesperson for Anti-Corruption in the Democratic Party

The publication in the media of documents and information on the 15 million euro tender for the purchase of three firefighting aircraft once again shows how Edi Rama's government administers national security and defense and how it manages Albanians' money.

According to the media, the Ministry of Defense has announced the winner of the contract to the company Air Tractor Europe SL, which has been involved in court decisions in Spain related to tender manipulation and corruption in the firefighting aircraft sector.

The decisions of the Spanish judicial authorities, in addition to the corrupt damage of at least 150 million euros, together with the decision of the supreme court in Greece in 2024, prevent the company from participating in public procurement procedures in European Union countries.

In fact, Albanian legislation also contains the same penalty clauses:

1. Based on Law 36/2020 on procurement in the field of defense and security, Article 38/1, the CA disqualifies any operator when there is evidence that he is or has been convicted of a final criminal decision for a series of criminal offenses including forgery, corruption; fraud, etc.

2. The DST in the field of defense and security, in Annex 10, to be completed by the participating EO and submitted to the CA, requires the bidder, under his full responsibility, to declare that he has not been convicted of any of the criminal offenses provided for in Article 38/1 of the Law on Procurement in the Field of Defense and Security.

Under these conditions, the Democratic Party demands the immediate cancellation of the procedure and the launch of in-depth investigations by SPAK to penalize those responsible.