KAYO, Elbit Systems and Ron Yeffet arms arrangements (Albania)
Status: Under investigation (SPAK searches reported; no charge or court finding found). Contract value not publicly disclosed in any official source found.
Summary
Albanian state defence company KAYO has reportedly concluded arrangements with Israeli defence company Elbit Systems (artillery, mortars, drones, production facility, aviation academy in Vlora). Haaretz, as reported by secondary outlets, described an Elbit supply deal in November 2025. Kapitali reported a secret contract worth hundreds of millions of euros and named Israeli businessman Ron Yeffet as intermediary. Opposition figures and the former deputy prime minister Arben Ahmetaj have alleged improper favouritism and asked for SPAK and parliamentary investigations. SPAK reportedly searched Yeffet's home. The government says KAYO is a state company set up under international standards and that the accusations are baseless. No court finding has been reached in the sources reviewed.
Key facts
- Bilateral defence cooperation agreement reportedly signed June or July 2025 (dates reported differently)
- Elbit supply reported by Haaretz, November 2025: 155mm ATMOS, 120mm SPEAR mortars, Magni-X and Thor drones (The Defense Post, 2025-11-19)
- Kapitali: value 400-600 million euros, not officially confirmed (2025-12-10)
- NATO NSPA reportedly suspended Elbit and its subsidiary Orion Advanced Systems amid a corruption probe; Belgian prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for an Italian consultant (reports 2025-12-08). Elbit is not reported as being investigated itself.
- Timak Defence reportedly received two payments totalling 10.5 million euros (Kapitali, claimed)
The record
Four lists kept apart on purpose: what is established, what is only alleged, what is still open, and what those concerned said.
What is proven (1)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- Albania and Israel signed a defence and military cooperation memorandum (Israeli embassy page reports a ministerial signing; year and text not confirmed)
What is alleged (3)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationUndisclosed financial value and favouritism in awarding the Elbit arrangement
- AllegationRon Yeffet's role as intermediary and his closeness to Rama
- AllegationImproper tender award to Timak Defence
Allegations and who made them (3)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationKapitali reported Ron Yeffet was the intermediary (unnamed source)
- AllegationAhmetaj claims recordings show arms trafficking through KAYO (claim by speaker)
- AllegationBalliu (named in BalkanWeb) says Timak Defence won a 10 million euro Defence Ministry tender three months after partnership creation (claim)
Open questions (4)
- Exact text, date and signatories of the 2025 defence agreement
- Whether any public procurement procedure was used for the Elbit arrangement
- Final value and funding of the Elbit contract
- Outcome of the SPAK investigation into KAYO and Yeffet
Responses (3)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Albanian Government Office: KAYO is a state company established under international standards and the accusations are baseless (reported in BalkanWeb/reporter.al, 2026-06-28)
- Rama: no direct public reply to the Elbit or Yeffet allegations found in sources reviewed
- Elbit Systems: reported to have said it has not been withdrawn from any NATO programme and no NSPA project has been stopped (exact outlet not confirmed)
Figures
Money trail →Reported secret Elbit contract value (lower end of Kapitali range)
€400,000,000
Incomplete figurecontractSource label: Under investigationStated definition: incomplete: Kapitali estimate range 400-600 million euros; not officially confirmed; some sources cite up to about one billion. Single figure shown is the lower bound.
Date: 10 Dec 2025 · Payer: Albanian government (per reporting) · Payee: Elbit Systems (per reporting)
- Detajet: marreveshja e KAYO me kompanine izraelite (Kapitali report, BalkanWeb) (opens in a new tab)BalkanWeb / Kapitali.al · 10 Dec 2025 · journalism · SQ
Two budget payments to Timak Defence (claimed)
€10,500,000
paymentSource label: Under investigationStated definition: Total of two payments as reported by Kapitali; payment documents not retrieved.
Date: Dec 2025 · Payer: Albanian state budget (per Kapitali) · Payee: Timak Defence
- Detajet: marreveshja e KAYO me kompanine izraelite (Kapitali report, BalkanWeb) (opens in a new tab)BalkanWeb / Kapitali.al · 10 Dec 2025 · journalism · SQ
Timak Defence tender from Defence Ministry (claimed by Balliu)
€10,000,000
tenderSource label: UnverifiedStated definition: approximate, as stated by opposition figure Balliu; not verified.
Date: 2026 · Payer: Ministry of Defence (Albania, claim) · Payee: Timak Defence (claim)
- Timak got 10 mln euro from Defence Ministry, Balliu says (BalkanWeb) (opens in a new tab)BalkanWeb · 2026 · journalism · SQ
Investment transfers to R&I Trading by Mark Faist (plaintiff claim)
No amount recorded
paymentSource label: UnverifiedStated definition: USD 8,611,676.50 transferred; USD 1,000,000 repaid May 2025; unpaid balance USD 7,611,676.50 (per plaintiff's filing as reported). Not a KAYO payment; placed here as a related Yeffet financial claim.
Date: May 2025 · Payer: Mark Faist · Payee: R&I Trading (linked to Ron Yeffet)
- Mark Faist lawsuit against Ron Yeffet and R&I Trading (BalkanWeb, Panorama documents) (opens in a new tab)BalkanWeb / Panorama Online · 2025 · journalism · SQ
Timeline
Full timeline →Government
Albania-Israel defence and military cooperation memorandum
A memorandum of understanding on military and defence cooperation between Albania and Israel was signed at ministerial level in a ceremony reported by the Israeli embassy (Dublin page). Exact date and Albanian signatory not confirmed from the snippet. Described by a New Arab analysis as signed in 2023.
Government
Foreign media report Elbit to set up a flight school in Albania (Vlora)
Reported that foreign media in April 2025 said Elbit would create a flight school in Albania. KAYO and Elbit later signed an agreement to reopen the aviation academy in Vlora, signed in Rama's presence (BalkanWeb). Signing date not confirmed.
Government
Bilateral defence agreement reportedly signed (date disputed: June or July 2025)
Kapitali reported that Defence Minister Pirro Vengu and his Israeli counterpart signed a broad military agreement in July 2025 which the Council of Ministers approved. Another report (cited via GreekReporter) gives June 2025. Official text not retrieved; dates and signatories not verified.
Other
Haaretz report on Elbit supply to Albania (as reported)
Reports, citing Haaretz, said Elbit Systems would supply Albania with 155mm ATMOS howitzers, 120mm SPEAR mortars and Magni-X and Thor drones, with an initial 10 drones and later assistance for a production facility in the north (The Defense Post, 2025-11-19). No Albanian government statement of the contract value was found.
International
NATO NSPA suspends Elbit and Orion amid corruption probe; Belgian arrest warrant reported
Investigative reporting (Reuters via The National; Open; FTM) reported that NATO's procurement agency suspended Elbit and Orion Advanced Systems amid a bribery probe, and that Belgian prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for an Italian consultant alleged to have acted for Elbit. Albania is not mentioned in these reports.
Other
Kapitali report: secret Elbit contract of 400-600 million euros and Ron Yeffet as intermediary
Kapitali (via BalkanWeb) reported a secret contract of hundreds of millions with Elbit, a EUR 400-600 million estimate, Ron Yeffet as intermediary (unnamed source), KAYO partnerships with Yeffet companies, and EUR 10.5 million in payments to Timak Defence. The article states no government response.
Government
Defence Ministry announces drone-production partnership with Elbit (as reported)
Reported in January 2026 that Albania's Defence Ministry announced a partnership with Elbit Systems to produce drones, following the 2025 bilateral agreement (Greek Reporter, Oct 2026 summary). Primary Albanian ministry announcement not retrieved.
Media
reporter.al article on Rama's Israel flight, Ron Yeffet and KAYO (claims, partly contradictory)
reporter.al (reprinted by BalkanWeb) reported that Rama flew to Israel about five months earlier on a chartered plane; the article says the charter was paid by Tzachi Nachmias in one passage and that the payer is unknown in another, so the payer question is unresolved. It also reports Yeffet's KAYO companies, Ahmetaj's and Kellici's claims, and a Florida lawsuit. It states no official investigation of Yeffet had been opened, and Rama's exact words on the security elements of the visit are not quoted.
Media
Arben Ahmetaj announces wiretap recordings involving Ron Yeffet on TV
On the show Cim Peka Live, former deputy PM Arben Ahmetaj announced recordings he says involve Ron Yeffet and KAYO, including a three-hour interception in Monaco and claims of arms trafficking. The article reports no confirmation from any court, prosecutor, ministry or police agency and states the claims remain his allegations.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 14 sources.
Source label: VerifiedVerified · 1 source
- Publisher
- Embassy of Albania in Israel (ambasadat.gov.al)
- Date
- Mar 2022
Source label: Under investigationUnder investigation · 11 sources
- Detajet: marreveshja e KAYO me kompanine izraelite (Kapitali report, BalkanWeb) (opens in a new tab)
- Publisher
- BalkanWeb / Kapitali.al
- Date
- 10 Dec 2025
- Publisher
- The Defense Post
- Date
- 19 Nov 2025
- Publisher
- The National (Reuters)
- Date
- 8 Dec 2025
- Publisher
- Open
- Date
- 8 Dec 2025
- Publisher
- Albanian Daily News
- Date
- 2026
- Publisher
- BalkanWeb / reporter.al
- Date
- 28 Jun 2026
- Publisher
- BalkanWeb
- Date
- 8 Sep 2026
- Publisher
- Greek Reporter
- Date
- 13 Oct 2026
- Publisher
- Embassy of Israel
- Date
- 2023
- Publisher
- The New Arab
- Date
- Jun 2026
- Publisher
- FTM
- Date
- Dec 2025
Source label: UnverifiedUnverified · 2 sources
- Publisher
- BalkanWeb
- Date
- 2026
- Publisher
- BalkanWeb / Panorama Online
- Date
- 2025