Tirana Times
TIRANA, September 6 – Albanian central and local government institutions have abused 1.2 billion lek, some 11.5 million dollars, the Supreme State Audit said in a report after carrying out 143 controls during the first half of this year.
Data show the financial damage, which belongs to the 2007-2009 period and the first three months of 2010 was caused in revenues and expenditure abuses, most of which in the tax service.
Regional tax directorates and some municipalities and communes are reported to have caused 360 million lek (3.55 million dollars) of damage in tax procedures, including profit tax, VAT, and failure to impose fines on delays in submitting financial balance sheets in time.
The biggest violations were uncovered in the northern Shkodra, Dibra and Kukes regional tax directorates ranging from 7.5 to 187 million lek.
Second came customs offices with a total of 327 million lek of abuse. The abuse list is topped by the Durres customs office with 306 million lek as unpaid duties in the customs clearance of different articles including cars, followed by the Shkodra and Fier customs points.
Considerable damage was also identified in the sale and rental process of state property with a total of 152 million lek, most of which in the Tirana forestry policy directorate with 127 million lek as unpaid bills for the use of woods areas by private companies.
Fourth came the procurement sector with 113 million lek of abuses in a list topped by the General Railway Directorate and the Education and Science Ministry with 28 and 24 million lek of damage respectively.
Auditors also reported 11.6 million lek in operating expenditure and 10 million lek in the wages system.
The bonuses abuses accounted for 731 million lek.
Other violations in the report included 112 million lek in the implementation of the “integrated water and ecosystems management” project by the General Water Supply and Sewage directorate as payments in violation to the contract’s terms.
Violations were also reported in the rehabilitation of the water infrastructure in Vlora, with 37.7 million lek, the reconstruction of five polyclinics with 5.5 million lek and the Levan-Vlore highway with 1.6 million lek.
The Education and Science Ministry has also caused 50 million lek of damage in a contract to buy and install computer labs in compulsory education schools.
The Supreme State Audit said that 100 percent of the abuses must be compensated. Auditors have also recommended some 541 administrative measures for public administration officials, including warnings, suspensions and demotions and filed 4 lawsuits against eight officials in the Shkodra Forest Service, the General Prisons Directorate, Himara Municipality and the real estate and registration office in Durrres. The eight officials are reported to have caused 59 million lek of damage.
The Supreme State Audit identified 973 million lek (9.7 million dollars) of damage in central and local government institutions during controls carried out in the first three months of this year.
