Editorial: The Gulf Oil affair: When ties between business and politics go wrong

Hundreds of Albanian consumers were left holding worthless paid-for coupons this week as a major gasoline and a diesel retailer shut down its distribution centers around the country unexpectedly. Albania’s Gulf Oil Company is now under investigation for fraud in the €1.5 million worth coupon scheme that were sold below market price in the past few months when managers likely knew bankruptcy was near. That’s on top of employees not having received any wages in recent months, according to local media reports. The prosecution is currently investigating the company’s manager Albano Aliko as the main suspect who allegedly committed the…