Three months ago, the state-owned Kayo company established a joint venture with Timak. The company, called Timak Defence, with the aim of manufacturing and adapting military equipment, was registered at the National Business Center on August 13 of this year.
But less than two and a half months after the company's founding, the government immediately began pumping billions of lek from the budget into its accounts through secret contracts.
contracts
On September 26 of this year, the Defense and Security College decided to install an anti-drone system known as C-UAS. Two weeks later, Military Department 3001 in Tirana signed a contract with the company Timak Defence. Just three days later, the order for the implementation of the contract was issued and at the end of October, Military Department 3001 transferred 6.1 million euros to Timak Defence's account.
It is not known by what procedure the contract was concluded, as there is no trace of it in the public procurement bulletin. It is not even known what its total amount is. The payment of 6.1 million euros could be full, but it could also be partial.
What is known for sure is that the treasury has begun pumping billions of lek in bursts into Timak Defence's account.
On October 29, the Albanian government signed another secret contract with Timak Defence, this time for the purchase of light tactical transport vehicles. The executing authority of the contract is Military Department No. 4300 in Tirana.
A day later, on October 30, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense issued the monitoring order and the next day the company issued another invoice of 4.4 million euros towards the budget.
The money was paid on November 4. All in record time and perfect coordination, so much so that the incinerator's 17 decisions in one day seem amateurish.
In total, the government has so far executed 10.5 million euros in payments from the budget to Timak Defence, while its shareholders enjoy rivers of citizens' money from their legally monopoly positions.
From Arjetë became Yeffet
Just a few months before billions of dollars in budget money started flowing into Timak, the company that advertises itself as a vehicle manufacturer, underwent significant changes in its ownership structure. Owned 100 percent by Arjeta Puca since its founding, the company was joined by a new owner through a highly unusual transaction.
On June 17, Arjeta Puca sold 49 percent of Timak's shares for a price of only 490 euros. The buyer was Ron Yeffet, an Israeli with Albanian citizenship and secretly very close to Edi Rama.
Sale of Timak
What prompted Ms. Puca to sell her business so cheaply, at a time when Timak was being heavily advertised as the General Motors of Albania, even though in reality it is simply a welding shop that assembles iron manufactured by others? Everything would become clear only a few months later.
Immediately after Edi Rama's friend entered as owner with 49 percent of the shares, Ardi Veliu entered into a partnership with the Timak company. The state-owned Kayo and Timak co-founded the Timak Defense company, where Timak holds 80 percent of the shares and Kayo 20 percent.
This company was given a government decision, a monopoly on the supply of vehicles for the army, the guard and the police. But not only that. The company has now also obtained a monopoly on drones, as Edi Rama advertises in television studios that he will protect Trump and all world leaders at the NATO summit in Tirana with drones produced by Roni and Arjeta.
Edi Rama and Arjeta Puca
But defense contracts are emerging as a new front for plunder, the echoes of which will probably be heard in a few years. Just as happened with infrastructure. But with one difference.
Choked by scandals in the government, as well as by fear of SPAK, they have already invented the style of state-owned joint-stock companies to funnel billions of the budget to the government's friends. So it is no surprise that after a few years, this too will emerge as a geostrategic decision with a little corruption inside.
Editorial
