TIRANA, May 3- A former deputy economy minister is currently being investigated by authorities in relation to suspicious transactions accounting for several million dollars in the fuel sector. Gjergj Bojaxhi, a former head of the Albanian Power Corporation (KESH) and a former deputy economy minister under the previous right-wing government became part of the investigations after six figure transactions by a company under his administration drew scrutiny. Everest Oil, a company established in 2012 with Bojaxhi as administrator and his wife together with his mother- in-law as main shareholders, has circulated millions of dollars since its establishment.
The figure exceeds 170 million dollars, according to authorities. Authorities say that Everest Oil in 20132014 has had a profit of over 2 million dollars and a turnover of approximately150 million dollars, at a time when the company had respectively just 11 and 6 employees. The large sums of money circulated by the aforementioned company have raised suspicions, since despite six figure transactions, Bojaxhi and his family members have stated in income declarations that the family income does not exceed 60,000 dollars a year. Another dubious fact is the entry into the market immediately after the company was set up. Everest Oil is also closely linked with La Petrolifera, which is almost entirely owned by the same group owning Everest Oil.
Raising further suspicions, Everest Oil attempted a transaction in October 2013 with a company registered in Georgia named Lockhart Trading Group regarding the purchase of oil and gas. The latter was established by Igor Kalin, a Russian citizen sentenced to seven years for fraud and his involvement in a prostitution ring. The transaction never materialized. The former deputy energy minister is currently suspected of loan fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. Gjergj Bojaxhi, who ran for Tirana Mayor in the last local elections, shrugged off the accusations as politically motivated. “If I were indeed involved in what I am being accused of, it would be the United States to launch an investigation against me as an American citizen in the first place,” he replied to accusations.
Bojaxhi currently holds dual citizenship, the other one being American. Bojaxhi says that the company under his administration is a regular taxpayer and has never been involved in suspicious activities and that he is willing to cooperate with authorities for the sake of transparency. “We are ready to share all of our documentation with Albanian and American law enforcement agencies,” he continued. In the local elections held last year, Bojaxhi finished third in the race for Tirana mayor receiving 16,000 votes ranking behind the candidates from the main political parties. Previously, he had expressed his ambitions of entering the Albanian political scene with a new party.
