Tirana Outer Ring Road: seven lots under verification (2021 tenders)
Status: Under investigation. New charges over three Grand Ring Road lots reported 31 Jul 2026. Lot 7 winner disputed. No court ruling.
Summary
Lot 4 is described in the existing case-tirana-outer-ring-road-lot4 record. Later reports widened the Outer Ring Road part of the Balluku file. Balkanweb (16 Dec 2025, fetched) lists eight procedures in total: the Llogara tunnel plus seven others, including Outer Ring Lots 4, 5, 6 and 7 and three other Tirana road segments. Balkanweb (31 Jul 2026, fetched) reports new charges over three Grand Ring Road lots and a three-month investigation extension. Balkanweb (9 Sep 2026, fetched) links Lot 7 (fund limit about 2.35 billion lekë excluding VAT) to the Palasë villa allegation. A Shqiptarja search summary reports that seven Outer Ring tenders were opened at once after the 2021 elections, six awarded at 94.5 to 96.1 percent of the fund limit, from 48 bidders with 35 disqualified. These are press figures, not checked against the public procurement record. The Lot 7 winner is contested.
Key facts
- Balkanweb (16 Dec 2025, fetched): eight procedures in total: Llogara plus Sheshi Shqiponja–Lumi i Tiranës (Lot 1 and QMT), Sheshi Shqiponja–Bulevardi i Ri (Lot 2), Sheshi Shqiponja–Bulevardi i Ri–Shkozë with bridges, and Outer Ring Lots 4, 5, 6 and 7.
- Balkanweb (9 Sep 2026, fetched): Lot 7 was won by a joint venture including Alko Impex General Construction; Lot 7 fund limit about 2.35 billion lekë excluding VAT.
- Albanian Daily News (28 Oct 2026, fetched): seven Ring Road tenders are among the nine tenders under investigation.
- Shqiptarja (search summary only): six of seven 2021 tenders awarded at 94.5 to 96.1 percent of the fund limit; 48 bidders, 35 disqualified.
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 (0)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
Nothing recorded in this list.
What is alleged (1)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationPredetermination of the winners of the seven Outer Ring lots and other procedures (SPAK, as reported).
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 the Lot 4 winner was predetermined by Balluku with Evis Berberi and others (as reported by Shteg, 21 Nov 2025; see case-tirana-outer-ring-road-lot4).
- AllegationSPAK alleges that Balluku favoured Alko Impex's joint venture in the Lot 7 procurement, in exchange for villa investments (as reported by Balkanweb, 9 Sep 2026).
Open questions (3)
- Official 2021 award records for each Outer Ring lot (lot numbers, winners, values) were not retrieved. openprocurement.al was not successfully queried.
- Lot 7 winner: Alko Impex joint venture (Balkanweb, 9 Sep 2026) versus '2T' of Artan Sako (Shqiptarja search summary).
- Lot 1: a headline (search result) reports the first lot, about 18 million euros, awarded to a Biba X and DH Albania joint venture, with the contract later suspended. Not verified.
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Balluku: denied wrongdoing (Tirana Times, 11 Nov 2025; existing record claim-balluku-denial). No response to the 2026 Outer Ring charges was found.
Figures
Money trail →Outer Ring Lot 7 fund limit (excluding VAT), as reported by Balkanweb
2,350,000,000 lek
tenderSource label: Under investigationStated definition: 'About 2.35 billion lekë excluding VAT' (Balkanweb, 9 Sep 2026, fetched). Lot 7 winner disputed (Alko Impex JV vs '2T' of Artan Sako, per search summary).
Date: 2021 · Payer: Albanian state (ARRSH) · Payee: Lot 7 winning joint venture (reported as including Alko Impex General Construction)
- Ekskluzive: Dosja Balluku, SPAK sekuestron pasuri të reja në Palasë (Balkanweb, fetched) (opens in a new tab)Balkanweb · 9 Sep 2026 · journalism · SQ
Timeline
Full timeline →SPAK
SPAK informs Balluku of new charges over three Grand Ring Road lots; investigation extended by three months
Balkanweb EN (31 July 2026, fetched) reports Balluku was informed of a three-month extension of the investigation and of new charges over three lots of the Grand Ring Road. It says she left SPAK after about 20 minutes without comment. The English headline says she 'has been charged with several charges and is being held in custody'; the article body does not mention custody, and other reports describe a suspension and a travel ban, not detention. The custody wording is recorded as unverified.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 5 sources.
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 2 sources
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 16 Dec 2025
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 31 Jul 2026
Source label: Under investigationUnder investigation · 3 sources
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 9 Sep 2026
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja
- Date
- not recorded
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 9 Sep 2026