US Treasury designation of Ylli Ndroqi and Aqif Rakipi under E.O. 14033 (April 2022)
Status: US designation in force as of the 2022 announcement; later status not verified
Summary
On 11 April 2022 the US Treasury designated Albanian media owner Ylli Ndroqi and former Elbasan MP Aqif Rakipi under Executive Order 14033 (Western Balkans corruption and destabilising behaviour), in an action that also named figures from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The Treasury press release describes Ndroqi's assets as seized by the Albanian government in 2020 and 2021 and says he used outlets to extort Albanians.
The designations are official US allegations. They are not court findings. The designated persons' responses were not found in primary sources, except an exit.al headline that Ndroqi vowed to fight the designation (based on the headline only).
The case is older than the 2025-2026 scope, but it was missing from the dataset, which had no OFAC entries at all. It also sits in the same sanctions framework as the 2021 Section 7031(c) designation of Sali Berisha already in the dataset.
Key facts
- Treasury press release dated 11 April 2022, titled 'Treasury Targets Actors for Destabilizing Behavior Throughout the Western Balkans'.
- Both Albanians were designated under E.O. 14033 (per the press release).
- Treasury describes Ndroqi as a media owner whose assets the Albanian government seized in 2020 and 2021.
- Treasury describes Rakipi as a 'notorious former Member of Parliament from Elbasan'.
- The press release page opened did not list Albanian individuals under Section 7031(c).
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 US Treasury made the designations on 11 April 2022 under E.O. 14033 (official record).
What is alleged (2)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationThat Ndroqi extorted citizens and facilitated bribes (US Treasury allegation).
- AllegationThat Rakipi engaged in organised crime and placed allies in public jobs (US allegation as reported by exit.al; wording not confirmed in the opened Treasury page).
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.
- AllegationUS Treasury alleges Ndroqi used outlets he once controlled to extort Albanians and facilitated bribes for a business seeking to operate in Albania (as summarised by bne IntelliNews in secondary reports; not confirmed in the opened Treasury page).
- AllegationExit.al summary (not confirmed in the original source) reports the US accused Rakipi of organised crime and of using his post to place allies in public jobs.
Open questions (3)
- Whether OFAC has added any Albania-linked designation in 2025 or 2026 (see gaps).
- Whether the Albanian authorities or courts have acted on the seizure of Ndroqi's assets beyond 2021.
- Whether the Bribery allegation involving a business seeking to operate in Albania has been investigated in Albania.
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Exit.al headline (not confirmed in the original source): 'Albanian Media Owner Sanctioned by US Vows to Fight Designation'. Not confirmed in the original source.
Timeline
Full timeline →International
US Treasury designates Ylli Ndroqi and Aqif Rakipi under E.O. 14033
Treasury press release naming two Albanians among Western Balkans designations. Official US allegations, not court findings.
Connections
Designated under E.O. 14033
Evidence: US Treasury press release jy0712, 11 Apr 2022.
Hypotheses
Possible explanations that connect this record with other findings. They are not findings; each lists the evidence for and against.
- Source label: Unverified
US sanctions on Albanian political and media figures share one framework with the Berisha designation
The US designated Ndroqi and Rakipi in 2022 under E.O. 14033, the same Western Balkans framework expanded in 2021 and amended in 2025, and it designated Sali Berisha under Section 7031(c) in 2021. Taken together, the US actions name opposition-linked and media figures rather than only the governing party. If that pattern holds, the US record is weighted in a way that an analysis of Albanian politics should account for before drawing conclusions about the government.
Evidence for
- US Treasury 11 Apr 2022 named two Albanians under E.O. 14033 (verified on the press release).
- Berisha was designated under Section 7031(c) on 19 May 2021 (dataset case-us-7031c-berisha).
- Rakipi, a former MP, and Ndroqi, a media owner, are both figures with connections to Albanian politics and media.
Evidence against
- The 2022 action also designated figures from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro, so it is not Albania-specific.
- No Albania-specific US designation in 2025 or 2026 was confirmed, so the 'pattern' rests on two dated actions.
- The Treasury press release does not tie either designee to a party or to the then-government.
- Ndroqi's and Berisha's responses (Berisha denied the claims) have not been fully examined.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 1 source.
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 1 source
- Publisher
- US Department of the Treasury
- Date
- 11 Apr 2022