Shkodër mayor Benet Beci: KESH 2019 strategic-research tender, equal-treatment charge (SPAK, trial 2026)
Status: On trial (shortened procedure accepted 20 July 2026). Beci remains mayor. No verdict.
Summary
Benet Beci, mayor of Shkodër and Socialist Party member as reported, was placed under SPAK investigation in November 2024 over his earlier role as director of the Albanian Power Corporation (KESH). Prosecutors allege that, with procurement and evaluation officials, he gave an unfair advantage to the winning firm in a 2019 tender for a strategic energy-sector research project. SPAK sent the case to court on 8 January 2026 (reported 9 January 2026), and the Special Anti-Corruption Court accepted a shortened trial procedure for Beci and five co-defendants on 20 July 2026. The defence argued that an amnesty law should bar prosecution for offences before 31 May 2026 carrying up to three years.
Key facts
- Beci was placed under SPAK investigation in November 2024, and gave about 40 minutes of statements to prosecutors (Balkanweb, 4 Nov 2024).
- The charge is violating equal treatment of participants in public tenders, committed in cooperation (Criminal Code arts. 258 and 25, per Balkanweb 17 Mar 2026).
- Tender: 'Zhvillimi Strategjik i Sektorit Energjitik (Projekt Kërkimor)', reference REF-46463-12-18-2019, limit value 69,500,000 lekë (Shqiptarja). Other reports give about 68 million lekë and about EUR 700,000.
- Trial request filed 8 January 2026 in criminal proceeding no. 196 of 2024 (Shqiptarja).
- Co-defendants: Adela Ruko, Edlira Mitrushi, Jonid Kazani, Yllka Nishku, Rudin Gjoni (requested shortened trial) and Premtim Dauti (regular trial).
- GJKKO accepted the shortened trial for Beci and five co-defendants on 20 July 2026. The decision cannot be appealed (Balkanweb).
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 (2)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- The case has been referred to trial by SPAK and the GJKKO has accepted a shortened trial procedure (court procedural decisions reported by Albanian Daily News and Balkanweb).
- The procurement is reported as having taken place while Beci led KESH.
What is alleged (1)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationThat Beci and officials breached equal-treatment rules in a 2019 KESH tender to advantage a winning firm (SPAK charge).
Allegations and who made them (2)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationSPAK alleges that Beci and procurement and evaluation officials gave the winning firm, Consulting & Management Albania sh.p.k., an unfair advantage (Shqiptarja, 9 Jan 2026).
- AllegationSPAK alleges the procurement limit value and evaluation were manipulated to favour the winning firm (as reported; the precise mechanism is not described in the sources opened).
Open questions (4)
- Tender value differs across sources (69.5 million lekë in Shqiptarja vs about 68 million lekë in Albanian Daily News and about EUR 700,000 in headlines); the official reference should be checked.
- Whether the amnesty argument (offences before 31 May 2026 with maximum sentence up to three years) will be accepted by the court; no ruling was reported in the sources opened.
- Whether the same KESH procurement chain is linked to the Balluku energy-allegation file (case-balluku-kesh-energy-allegations); no documented link found in the sources opened.
- Whether any co-defendant's prior public role bears on the procurement chain is not assessed in the sources opened.
Responses (2)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Beci declined to comment to reporters after giving statements in November 2024 (Balkanweb, 4 Nov 2024). No public denial or defence statement is reported in the sources opened.
- Defendants and their lawyers requested dismissal on the basis of an amnesty law (Albanian Daily News, 20 Jul 2026).
Figures
Money trail →KESH strategic energy-sector research tender (2019), limit value
€700,000
69,500,000 lek
Stated definition: Limit value 69,500,000 lekë per Shqiptarja; Albanian Daily News gives about 68 million lekë; EUR figure is from headlines and approximate. Not the awarded value.
Date: 2019 · Payer: KESH · Payee: Consulting & Management Albania sh.p.k. (alleged beneficiary)
- Akuzohet për shkelje me tenderin 700 mijë euro (opens in a new tab)Shqiptarja.com · 9 Jan 2026 · journalism · SQ
Timeline
Full timeline →SPAK
Shkodër mayor Benet Beci officially under SPAK investigation; gives statements
Investigation concerns earlier roles (KESH director); he gave about 40 minutes of statements and declined comment.
SPAK
SPAK requests trial of Shkodër mayor Benet Beci and six others (KESH 2019 tender)
Trial request filed 8 January 2026 in proceeding no. 196 of 2024; reported 9 January 2026.
Court
GJKKO receives Beci case; six defendants named
Balkanweb names the defendants and the charge; Beci is mayor of Shkodër.
Court
GJKKO accepts shortened trial for Beci and five co-defendants
Defence amnesty argument reported; decision cannot be appealed.
Connections
Winning firm in the 2019 tender
Evidence: Shqiptarja (9 Jan 2026): SPAK alleges unfair advantage to this firm.
Hypotheses
Possible explanations that connect this record with other findings. They are not findings; each lists the evidence for and against.
- Source label: Unverified
A repeated 'equal treatment in tenders' charge is used across several municipalities and KESH, pointing to a common procurement pattern
The same charge wording (violating equal treatment of participants in public tenders) recurs in the Beci KESH case (2026), the Isai Kolonjë case (2026), the Kapri Pogradec case (2021), and the Balluku/Tushe-type files. Shteg's 'red flag' tenders (Kolonjë) and the Vlorë KLSH directors finding suggest a procurement-control weakness at municipal level rather than one-off misconduct. If so, the pattern may be documented in KLSH and procurement-register data across Bashkia Kolonjë, Vlorë and Shkodër.
Evidence for
- Balkanweb (17 Mar 2026) and Shqiptarja (9 Jan 2026): Beci charged under the same article as the 2026 Kolonjë charge (Balkanweb, 12 Jun 2026).
- Shteg (26 Sep 2025): Kolonjë tenders allegedly predetermined; a complaint says most Gjonç and check-dam tenders were marked 'red flag' (Balkanweb, 12 Jun 2026).
- KLSH review of Vlorë requested dismissal of five directors (undated, secondary report).
Evidence against
- The Kapri case (acquitted, upheld 2024) shows the same charge did not result in conviction; courts have not yet found any of the 2026 tender cases proven.
- The municipalities, tenders and officials are different; no documented common company, consultant or political sponsor across them was found in the sources opened.
- The charge is standard for tender cases in Albania and may reflect how prosecutors qualify many procurement offences rather than a coordinated scheme.
- Source label: Unverified
Beci's KESH tender and the Balluku energy file may share officials or the same KESH procurement network
Beci led KESH during the 2019 tender; the Balluku case includes KESH energy-trading allegations and earlier KESH officials as co-defendants (case-balluku-kesh-energy-allegations, case-joq-gjyli-elezi-spak-appearance-2026). Both files involve KESH-era procurement and SPAK. If the same officials or consultants appear in both, that would link a Socialist municipal mayor to the broader energy-procurement network already in the dataset.
Evidence for
- Beci case concerns KESH procurement during his leadership (Balkanweb 17 Mar 2026; Shqiptarja 9 Jan 2026).
- Balluku file includes KESH energy allegations (case-balluku-kesh-energy-allegations).
Evidence against
- The sources opened do not name any common official, company or tender between the Beci file and the Balluku file.
- Balkanweb and Albanian Daily News describe the Beci case as a separate tender from the Balluku file.
- Source label: Unverified
Cases against municipal mayors cut across parties; opposition complaints against PS mayors are common but rarely end in convictions
Complaints by PD candidates and branches (Dibër 2020 and 2025) target PS-run and other municipalities, while SPAK cases also involve PD (Kapri per 2024 notes) and LSI (Zamira Rami) figures. Protection by the majority, as an explanation for the outcome of cases, would predict fewer PS-mayor prosecutions proceeding. The sources show the opposite for Beci, Dako and Isai; but the mix of complaints and acquittals makes the pattern hard to read. The hypothesis is that prosecutions go forward for PS mayors, yet most opposition complaints are not converted into proceedings, so complaints themselves are a weak signal.
Evidence for
- Beci (PS as reported), Dako (PS), Gjika (PS per Shqiptarja) and Isai (party not stated) faced SPAK proceedings reaching trial.
- Dibër complaints (2020, 2025) by PD had no reported SPAK outcome.
Evidence against
- Kapri (PD per earlier notes) was charged and acquitted, showing SPAK acts against non-PS mayors too.
- Party of Isai and Hajdari is not established in the opened sources, so the balance cannot be fully measured.
- Opposition complaints are allegations and may be filed for political reasons; the lack of outcome does not show protection.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 4 sources.
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 4 sources
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja.com
- Date
- 9 Jan 2026
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 17 Mar 2026
- Publisher
- Albanian Daily News
- Date
- 20 Jul 2026
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 4 Nov 2024