TIRANA, Dec. 12 – After US authorities confirmed the winner of two public tenders worth almost 30 million euros – Dunwell Haberman and its branch DH Albania – had forged documents and tricked Albania’s public procurement system, the Voice of America alleged businessman and one of the country’s richest men Bashkim Ulaj is behind the massive fraud.
It was revealed, along with the company’s frauds from TV-show The Unexposed last Thursday, that 26-year-old Avdjol Dobi acted as the head of DH Albania, despite having no previous experience with neither construction or company management.
In this context, media and analysts began wondering how an almost-anonymous company managed to win two public tenders with such ease, especially since procedure requires that the winning company deposits a sum worth 10 percent of the investment and Dobi did not have any previous business that could provide him this monetary amount.
It was further revealed that, about a month ago, DH Albania had moved its headquarters at the “ABA Business Centre” high-rise building, belonging to Ulaj.
Further on, the Voice of America reported that Dobi himself has family ties with Ulaj.
VoA said it has attempted to inquire answers by calling Ulaj and that he declined to address the allegations, claiming that he is busy. He has additionally not replied to messages and emails asking questions of a similar line.
Dunwell Haberman, mother company of DH Albania that was founded in July 2018 instead of 1988, as it claimed in its forged foundation act, also refused to give any comments to VoA.
The Dunwell Haberman’s balance sheet submitted to the Business Registration Centre was translated by Shenda Kruja, who does not appear in the list of translators approved by the Ministry of Justice.
Social network search showed Kruja works at Ulaj’s company GENER 2.
Ulaj, Albanian developer and businessman is not a stranger to these accusations. Having appeared in the list of Albania’s top ten richest in 2015, local media has reported the businessman has had good relations with the government, irregardless the party in power.
