Top officials arrested on corruption charges

TIRANA, Dec. 24 – The Prosecutor’s office and police reported that three high officials of the Interior Ministry and three businessmen were arrested Tuesday in the capital Tirana after prosecutors charged them with rigging tenders for police uniforms and other materials.
That followed four months of investigation by the Tirana Joint Investigative Unit to Fight Economic Crime and Corruption, which includes prosecutors, police officers, intelligence, customs and tax officials.
It is believed that the defendants asked for five to ten per cent of the procurement amount in a tender on police boots, illegally profiting up to 125,000 euro.
They said the investigation had started two years ago with the assistance of a US-funded OPDAT programme in support of the Albanian justice system.
The “Last Procurement” operation placed under arrest procurement department head Bujar Zenel Murati, 39, expert at the Integration Ministry Redi Agron Popescu, 31, and an official at the Republic’s National Guard, Tahir Hajrulla Imami, 49.
Police also arrested three businessmen involved in the transactions: Artan Nargim Berberi, 43, Jani Dhimitraq Gjergjefi, 49, and Agur Qamil Sadiku, 47.
The three officials had allegedly favored the businessmen’s companies in the public tenders.
They are accused of passive corruption.