Tirana Outer Ring Road (Lot 4) procurement
Status: Under investigation. Part of the indictment reported in Nov 2025. Further accusations reported 7 Aug 2026.
Summary
SPAK's second tender allegation in the November 2025 indictment concerns Lot 4 of the Tirana Outer Ring Road, procured in 2021 by ARRSH. SPAK alleges Balluku guided the procedure and acted with Berberi and others to predetermine the winner. The reported detail is limited in the sources reviewed. Other procurement lots and the seven-procedure figure were not verified.
Search summaries mention further procurement allegations reported in August 2026, but the tenders, values and companies were not disclosed by SPAK, according to Tirana Times.
Key facts
- SPAK says the Lot 4 procedure was run by ARRSH in 2021 (Shteg, Nov 2025).
- SPAK did not identify the procedures, values or beneficiary companies in the August 2026 accusations (Tirana Times, 7 Aug 2026).
What is proven
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
Not found in the research files. See the gaps list.
What is alleged
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- Predetermined winner and unequal treatment of bidders in the Lot 4 procedure.
Allegations and who made them
- SPAK alleges Balluku guided the Lot 4 procedure and acted with Berberi and others to predetermine the winner (SPAK, as reported by Shteg).
Open questions
- Names of the companies that bid and won Lot 4 are not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
- The 'seven procurement procedures' figure was not verified. The search returned only unrelated results.
- Businessmen names (e.g. Bashkim Ulaj, Ilir Shtufi) were not found in any source reviewed and are therefore not included.
Responses
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Balluku: denies wrongdoing (Tirana Times, 11 Nov 2025).
Figures
Money trail →Ring Road Lot 4 tender (Euroteorema / PE-VLA-KU / Nova Construction JV)
€20,000,000
Incomplete figurecontractSource label: Officially reportedStated by an official body (SPAK, a court, the Ombudsman, a prosecutor). An accusation is verified only as an accusation.Stated definition: Rounded figure from Balkanweb headline ('20 mln euro'); Shqiptarja summary says about 20 million. INCOMPLETE: exact contract sum not read.
Date: Sep 2021 · Payer: Government of Albania / Tirana Ring Road authority (per SPAK file) · Payee: Joint venture: Euroteorema Peqin, PE-VLA-KU, Nova Construction 2012
- SPAK: akuze te reja per Ballukun, tenderi i Unazes se Madhe (opens in a new tab)Balkanweb · undated · contract · SQ
Timeline
Full timeline →SPAK
Nova signs cooperation contract with Euroteorema and Pe-Vla-Ku before Lot 4 bid deadline
Per the Report TV dossier, Nova Construction 2012 signed a cooperation contract with Euroteorema Peqin and Pe-Vla-Ku for procurement REF-02817-08-13-2021, one day before the 15 Sep 2021 bid deadline and four days after alleged messages from minister Balluku to ARRSH head Evis Berberi. SPAK alleges the criteria were tailored to the winner; the dossier reports this as SPAK's position.
SPAK
Nova Construction 2012 and Euroteorema companies register cooperation contract
SPAK says Nova Construction 2012 registered a cooperation contract with the Euroteorema companies on 14 Sep 2021, four days after the communications it cites (allegation, per Balkanweb / Shqiptarja summaries).
SPAK
SPAK indicts Balluku for breaching tender equality
Reported date of SPAK's indictment of Balluku, then Deputy PM, for violating equality among tender participants. Wikipedia (citing Balkan Insight) and several search summaries give this date. The shteg article of 21 Nov 2025 describes the indictment as about two weeks before the GJKKO measures. The primary SPAK announcement was not retrieved.
Media
Report TV dossier on Tirana Outer Ring Road Lot 4 published
Report TV's dossier (reproduced by Shqiptarja) describes the Lot 4 consortium (Euroteorema Peqin, Pe-Vla-Ku, Nova Construction 2012 owned by Ilir Shtufi), SPAK's allegations against Balluku and Berberi, and the criteria dispute. The article contains no response from the companies.
Media
Shqiptarja reports SPAK file on Lot 4 tender group
Reported SPAK-file messages attributed to Balluku and ARRSH head Evis Berberi; allegation as reported.
Parliament
Speaker withholds SPAK Balluku file from Mandates Council
Speaker Niko Peleshi cited 'investigative secret'; ResPublica's Dorian Matlija disputed this. Constitutional Court had reinstated Balluku on 12 Dec 2025 (as reported).
Parliament
Balla speaks for PS group on SPAK request to arrest Balluku
Balla said that on behalf of the five PS MPs he had informed the Mandates Council that the PS would not agree with the PD's proposed handling; he said the Council does not grant authorisation, the plenary does, and that the Assembly had taken the necessary time. Ulsi Manja was named as the PS rapporteur.
Government
Rama dismisses Balluku from government
Reuters (via Internazionale) reports PM Rama fired Deputy PM Balluku as the corruption investigation intensified.
Parliament
Parliament rejects SPAK request to allow Balluku's arrest (82 against, 47 for)
Parliament voted against SPAK's request to allow Balluku's arrest; the majority argued the measure had no practical effect since she no longer holds executive office. The investigation continues.
Parliament
Assembly rejects SPAK arrest request for Balluku: 47 for, 82 against
Majority (PS) rejected arrest authorization; Balluku absent; SPAK's request had been pending since 16 Dec 2025. Protests outside parliament; EU, German and UK embassies issued statements.
Parliament
Assembly rejects SPAK arrest request for Balluku: 47 for, 82 against; PS majority voted against, PD backed the request
Citizens.al reports 47 for SPAK's request, 82 against, 0 abstentions; the PS majority voted against and the stated reason from PS MP Ulsi Manja was that the request had lost legal logic because Balluku no longer exercised executive functions. Three majority MPs were absent. This is a split between PS and PD, not cooperation; it is included to mark the contrast. PD had submitted a report supporting SPAK's request (Shqiptarja, search result). Full record: ev-2026-03-12-immunity-vote in institutions-votes.json and conn-ps-balluku-immunity-vote-2026 in party-ties.json. The existing 79 PS + 3 PD breakdown there remains unverified.
International
Ilir Shtufi arrested in Thessaloniki on Albanian SPAK warrant
Greek police arrested Shtufi at a Thessaloniki hotel on an Interpol Red Notice and an Albanian arrest warrant tied to money laundering and organised crime (drug trafficking). He denies the charges.
Court
Thessaloniki court approves extradition of Ilir Shtufi
A Thessaloniki court approved Shtufi's extradition to Albania. He argued political persecution and fear for his safety; the court rejected those claims. No handover was found in the sources.
SPAK
SPAK informs Balluku of further procurement-related accusations
Tirana Times (dateline 7 Aug 2026) reports that Balluku appeared before SPAK to be informed of additional accusations linked to several public procurement procedures. SPAK did not identify the procedures, values or companies, and has not disclosed the evidence. It is not stated whether these overlap with the Llogara case.
Connections
Public contract←Ilir ShtufiSource label: Under investigationCredible reporting or investigative material that a court has not established.
Lot 4 consortium member (Nova)
Evidence: Report TV dossier: Nova Construction 2012, Euroteorema Peqin and Pe-Vla-Ku won Lot 4 (about €20m); SPAK alleges steering by Balluku.
Public contract←Euroteorema PeqinSource label: Officially reportedStated by an official body (SPAK, a court, the Ombudsman, a prosecutor). An accusation is verified only as an accusation.
Ring Road Lot 4 joint venture
Evidence: Euroteorema Peqin, PE-VLA-KU and NOVA Construction 2012 named as the joint venture that won Lot 4 (Balkanweb, SPAK file).
Parliamentary vote←Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë (PS)Source label: VerifiedBacked by official documents, a final court decision, or several reliable independent sources.
PS majority rejects SPAK arrest request, 12 Mar 2026
Evidence: On 12 March 2026 the Assembly rejected SPAK's request to authorize arrest of Belinda Balluku: 47 for, 82 against; Balluku absent; majority argued the request had lost practical effect.
Parliamentary vote←Taulant BallaSource label: Officially reportedStated by an official body (SPAK, a court, the Ombudsman, a prosecutor). An accusation is verified only as an accusation.
PS group spokesman on Balluku arrest request
Evidence: On 23 Feb 2026 Balla said the plenary, not the Mandates Council, grants authorisation.
Parliamentary vote←Ulsi ManjaSource label: Officially reportedStated by an official body (SPAK, a court, the Ombudsman, a prosecutor). An accusation is verified only as an accusation.
Majority report recommending rejection
Evidence: Manja read the PS majority report of the Mandates Council on 12 Mar 2026 (Citizens.al, fetched).
Government decision←Niko PeleshiSource label: Officially reportedStated by an official body (SPAK, a court, the Ombudsman, a prosecutor). An accusation is verified only as an accusation.
Withheld SPAK file as investigative secret
Evidence: Citizens.al 17 Dec 2025 reports the Assembly's refusal to give the Mandates Council the file (see ev-2025-12-17-speaker-withholds-file in party-ties.json).
Parliamentary vote←Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë (PD)Source label: VerifiedBacked by official documents, a final court decision, or several reliable independent sources.
PD backed SPAK arrest request; PS majority rejected it, 47-82 (12 Mar 2026)
Evidence: Citizens.al reports 47 for, 82 against, PS voting against. PD's supporting report was reported by Shqiptarja. This is a PS-PD split, recorded for contrast.