Opposition says US-Turkish consortium earning too much

TIRANA, July 1 – Albania’s opposition Socialist Party accused the governing Democratic Party of paying immense profits to the U.S.-Turkish consortium building the Rreshen-Kalimash road segment.
Erjon Brace, a Socialist lawmaker, said, during the first 10 months of work, the consortium was paid 250 million Euros, from which they saw profits of 86 million euro.
He said that meant that about 40 percent of the money paid by Albanian taxpayers went to the company’s profits.
The lawmaker added that, from the initial project cost of 418 million Euros until now, the cost of the project had increased to about 550 million and very likely would further increase.
Regarding the controversial road project, the parliament has stripped Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha of immunity and the public prosecutor has been investigating whether alleged corruption and abuse of power occurred by Basha or his office.
The opposition has alleged Basha improperly favored the U.S.-Turkish joint venture in the awarding of a highway construction contract while he was Transport Minister. Basha, who was transport minister from September 2005 until becoming
Foreign Minister in April of last year, has denied the accusations.
The consortium was awarded a 418 million euro contract to build a 65-kilometer section of road that is to be completed in 2009 to link Albania’s isolated north to neighboring Kosova. (Tirana Times Staff)