OST: Burrel-Peshkopi line tender to DH Albania, cancelled after forgery allegations (2018-2019)
Status: Tenders cancelled (Jan 2019). Criminal outcome for the company not confirmed in this round; Exit News (Jan 2020, per existing dataset) reports the registrant was charged and no official.
Summary
In late 2018 the Albanian branch of Dunwell Haberman (DH Albania) won two public tenders worth about 30 million EUR: about 18 million EUR for the first lot of the Ring Road (Unaza e Re) and about 12 million EUR from the Transmission System Operator OST for the Burrel-Peshkopi transmission line. In January 2019 a reported forged Delaware certificate, supposedly showing that the parent had no US financial obligations, led to allegations against the company's administrator. Both tenders were cancelled after the scandal became public. The OST director resigned, and the minister, Belinda Balluku, proposed a replacement that the OST board was to decide. The prosecutor's office was reported to have opened an investigation. The dataset's existing case case-dh-albania-tenders covers the forgery side; this entry adds the OST energy-sector link.
Key facts
- DH Albania won a 12 million EUR OST tender for the Burrel-Peshkopi transmission line in late 2018 (Shqiptarja, 21 Jan 2019).
- The Ring Road Lot 1 tender was about 18 million EUR.
- Both tenders were cancelled after the scandal became public.
- OST director Klodian Gradeci resigned.
- Minister Belinda Balluku proposed Skerdi Drenova as his replacement; the OST board was to decide.
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.
- The OST tender was awarded to DH Albania and then cancelled (Shqiptarja, 2019).
What is alleged (1)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationThe forged Delaware certificate and the use of it to qualify for the tenders.
Allegations and who made them (1)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationShqiptarja reports the company's administrator is suspected of forging, and then using, a Delaware certificate (2019 reporting; the company's response per the article: documents original, and 1.8 million EUR in a guarantee account to be handed over if shown false).
Open questions (4)
- Whether the OST evaluation committee was informed of the certificate and who approved the award.
- Final outcome of the prosecution and any charges against OST staff (none found).
- The replacement for the OST director and the date of the board decision.
- Whether this was part of the same network as the Ring Road and Gener 2 links mentioned in the existing dataset (not verified).
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Company administrator reportedly said in December 2018 that the documents were original and that he would hand over 1.8 million EUR held in a guarantee account if they were later shown to be false (per Shqiptarja, 2019).
Figures
Money trail →OST Burrel-Peshkopi tender awarded to DH Albania (cancelled)
€12,000,000
Stated definition: Award value; contract cancelled after scandal
Date: Dec 2018 · Payer: OST · Payee: DH Albania
- Shqiptarja 2019 (opens in a new tab)Shqiptarja · 21 Jan 2019 · journalism · SQ
Timeline
Full timeline →Government
OST announces DH Albania as winner of the Burrel-Peshkopi 220 kV line tender (EUR 12 million)
The state Transmission System Operator OST announced DH Albania as the winner of a EUR 12 million tender for the 220 kV Burrel-Peshkopi line in November 2018, according to Exit.al and Shqiptarja reporting. Reporting later said the company's documents in this tender were forged. Confidence is UNVERIFIED because the dates and amounts come from secondary reports, not an opened primary tender record.
Government
Gradeci resigns as OST director after the DH Albania tender scandal
Reports from January 2019 say the minister asked OST's board to remove Klodian Gradeci and that he resigned in connection with the DH Albania scandal. Sources differ on the exact day (21 or 23 January 2019), so only the month is recorded. One English article spells the name 'Geci'. No source opened confirms a later criminal charge against Gradeci. Response: none found in the opened sources.
Government
OST Burrel-Peshkopi tender to DH Albania cancelled after forgery reports; OST director resigns
Shqiptarja reports both DH Albania tenders (about 18 and 12 million EUR) cancelled and OST director Klodian Gradeci resigning; prosecutors reported to have opened investigations.
Connections
Minister proposed OST director replacement after cancellation
Evidence: Shqiptarja (2019): Balluku proposed Skerdi Drenova to replace OST director Gradeci.
Hypotheses
Possible explanations that connect this record with other findings. They are not findings; each lists the evidence for and against.
- Source label: Unverified
OST 2018-2019 tender and the Ring Road: same contractor network as later energy-sector awards
DH Albania won an OST transmission-line tender in late 2018 under Minister Balluku and then was cancelled after forgery reports. The dataset's existing case-dh-albania-tenders already links DH Albania to Gener 2 and a building through reporting by BIRN and VOA (alleged link to Bashkim Ulaj). Gener 2 also won the Thumanë-Kashar PPP (existing ev-2018-07-19-gener2-thumane-kashar-award). If these links are real, the OST tender and the road PPP would be parts of one network.
Evidence for
- OST tender of about 12m EUR to DH Albania, cancelled 2019 (OFFICIALLY_REPORTED).
- Existing dataset: BIRN and VOA allege DH Albania link to a Gener 2 building (UNVERIFIED in dataset).
- Gener 2 won Thumanë-Kashar PPP at 225.8m EUR in 2018 (existing dataset).
Evidence against
- The OST case as reported concerns forged documents by an administrator, not the Thumanë-Kashar award.
- No source opened in this round links the OST tender to Gener 2 or to the same people.
- Prosecutors were reported to have acted quickly, which is not what a protected network would normally show.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 2 sources.
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 1 source
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja
- Date
- 21 Jan 2019
Source label: UnverifiedUnverified · 1 source
- Publisher
- Exit.al
- Date
- Jan 2019