After a strong clash with the government, Delvina Gas, the company that has the concession for the Delvina oil field, has decided to lobby in the United States. The company owned by businessman Sokol Meqemeja has hired Mercury Public Affairs, one of the largest lobbying firms in Washington, to defend its investment in the Delvina field.
According to documents published in FARA, Delvina Gas and Mercury have signed a 6-month contract, against a fee of 100 thousand dollars per month that the Albanian company will pay to the lobbying firm. According to the contract signed between the parties, the main service that the lobbying firm will provide is that of lobbying the US government for the restoration of justice in investment protection.
Mercury Public Affairs is one of the largest lobbying firms in the United States, with strong ties to the Republican Party and President Trump's administration. The lobbyist who signed the contract with Delvina Gas is David Vitter, a former Republican senator from Louisiana.
Last summer, state police surrounded the premises of the Delvina Gas company, arresting several engineers and placing the company’s owner, Sokol Meqemeja, and its administrator, Jurglerd Ibrahimi, under investigation. According to the government, the company had built an unauthorized power plant on the concession premises, but the company disputed this accusation, stressing that the facility was a gas purification plant.
The police arrests were only cleared a few days later, when the prosecution dropped the charges against the company. But sources familiar with the matter say that the reason for the attack on Delvina Gas.
Under the rug, it was rumored that the attack on Delvina Gas was inspired by the Minister of Energy, Belinda Balluku, because the government intended to change the owner of the concession by giving the resource to an Israeli citizen.
Editorial
