Gov’t negotiating with two companies to audit debts

TIRANA, Oct. 3 – Deloitte and Crown Agent have been preliminarily selected to audit the unpaid bills and arrears government owes to the private sector for finished public works and services. Finance Ministry sources say negotiations with the two internationally renowned audit companies are still underway and that the two companies are also expected to assist government in the customs and tax administration.
The Albanian government and the IMF say government owes private companies 55-60 billion lek (Euro 382 to 416 million) in unpaid government bills and arrears.
Meanwhile, former Finance Minister Ridvan Bode who was in charge of the country’s public finances for the past eight years says government owes the private sector only 11 billion lek (Euro 76 million) in accumulated unpaid bills.
The Finance Ministry has invited private companies to declare their debt claims online from October 2 to 20. The Finance Ministry says unpaid government bills and arrears stand at 55 billion lek (Euro 382 million), a figure which the opposition Democratic Party has described as exaggerated. The Finance Ministry says that it will also initiate a verification process after the completion of the self-declaration process on October 20.