In July of this year, Albania signed a broad military agreement with Israel. The document, signed by Defense Minister Pirro Vengu and his Israeli counterpart, was approved by the Council of Ministers.
For many months, Vengu's firm was considered simply a normal agreement between two governments to cooperate in the field of defense. But a short time ago it was revealed that it was not simply an agreement between two governments, but a secret business worth hundreds of millions of dollars with the private company, Elbit Systems.
Last month, one of the largest Israeli newspapers, Haaretz, revealed that Elbit Systems has secured a multi-million dollar contract from the Albanian government to supply Albania with heavy weaponry, including mortars and drones. In parallel, the Israeli company will also open an aviation school in Vlora.
Although the total amount of the contract with Elbit is kept secret, Kapitali has researched that it is a business that ranges from 400 to 600 million euros. Everything was signed in secret.
Similar pattern as with the Arabs
A confidential source told Kapital that the government is considering a scheme similar to the Smart City project, to finance the hefty bill that Albania will pay to Elbit Systems.
According to this source, the Israeli company will find the money in the bank itself. Albania will guarantee the loan with a sovereign guarantee and then assume its repayment, including the hefty interest.
It is not known exactly how much the total bill for this operation is. Some sources put it in the order of a billion euros. But so far everything is kept secret. However, now that Elbit has been targeted by NATO for corruption, more details are expected to emerge about Edi Rama's secret multimillion-dollar contract with the Israeli company.
Roni again?
A source familiar with the matter told Kapital that the godfather of the agreement between the Albanian government and the Israeli company was the controversial Israeli businessman with Albanian roots, Ron Yeffet, known as a close friend of Edi Rama.
Currently, Mr. Yeffet has entered the war business in Albania through two companies in partnership with the state-owned Kayo company. The first company, called Timak Defence, has a monopoly on supplying the Albanian armed forces with vehicles. In addition to Timak Defence, Mr. Yefet also has another company in partnership with Kayo.
The second company is called Advanced Arms Technology and is owned 20 percent by Kayo and 80 percent by Ron Yeffet's Uno 18. The purpose of this company is the production, assembly and marketing of small and medium caliber firearms, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for military use. These products will be used by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, other security structures, as well as other local or international clients.
Meanwhile, the budget has immediately started pumping rivers of money into companies. Kapital recently announced two payments worth 10.5 million euros to Timak Defence, the joint venture between Kayos and Timak.
But this is just the beginning of the billion-dollar arms business, which will soon fully reveal itself as the biggest new front for corruption in Albania. And in front of this business, incinerators and tunnels will seem like child's play.
Editorial
