Tirana Times
TIRANA, Sept. 6 – Eleven wholesale oil and gas companies which had been suspended from operations for not meeting their trade standards have now had their licences revoked, the Economy and Trade Ministry decided. The decision came after inspections carried out by the Central Technical Inspectorate which had left the companies a 30-day deadline to improve their storage capacities.
The ministry says that ongoing checks to monitor the fuel market and the trade conditions will continue, warning of severe penalties for companies which do not meet conditions.
Refraktare, Glob Oil, Gleand Oil, Marash Oil, KX Petrol, Ylli Artemis, General Lubrifikant, L.C, Rom Petrol, ER – AR, Leksoil Elika are the eleven companies that have had their licences revoked.
The government has announced it will award a concession contract to a foreign company to mark and monitor fuel in the country.
Several oil companies have been suspended and had their licences revoked during this year because of trading fuel not meeting standards and smuggling. Early in 2011, a massive fraud scheme involving the gasoline and diesel distribution system, selling mixed premium products with inferior byproducts that could have damaged thousands of vehicles and cost consumers millions was unveiled. The probe has led to charges for 13 men, both public officials and businesspeople.
