By Boldnews.al
This is the crazy figure that Albanian officials spend on plane tickets for travel on virtually all continents of the world. Boldnews.al analyzed all the bidding developed with the subject “Purchase Airline for Outbound Service”, where it resulted that only 5 ministers have booked hundreds of air travels exceeding the value of 1 billion Lek (old).
The record breaks the Ministry of Defense headed by Mimi Kodheli, where for 2016-2017 are scheduled 73,831,493 (new) for airline tickets. This service will be provided for trips to all continents of the world as potential destinations for the needs of the staff of the Ministry of Defense, General Staff, Land Force Command, Naval Force Command, Doctrine and Training Command and Intelligence Agency and Security Protection. The contract does not contain the amount of tickets that will be purchased, as not all the places where Codheli will fly with its subordinates are yet to be determined.
Energy and Industry Minister Damian Gjiknuri also turns out to be standing for a long time in the air traveling to several countries around the world. For 2016-2017, this institution will spend 12,186,666 leks (new) for about 200 plane tickets. Gjiknuri and his administration are expected to travel to the continent of Europe, America, Asia and the African exotic countries. Also 10 tickets are left unspecified which can be used for trips to undiscovered locations (may be India, Latin America and Antarctica). Earlier the media reported that Minister Gjiknuri was a regular visitor to Italy every weekend.
Aircraft Tickets of the Ministry of Energy and Industry (above table)
The third is the Minister of Social Welfare and Youth, Blend Klosi, who used only 7,420,476 new (new) state budgets for 2016. The doubts arise for the purpose of these visits outside Albania of officials of this institution.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of European Integration has forecasted 4,500,000 (new) aircraft tickets for 2016. Although Klajda Gjosha spends much of the time abroad due to meetings within the framework of Albania’s integration, it turns out that this ministry has spent on less money for tickets than other ministries. In addition to excessive travel, the scandal may be due to the misuse of public funds by Minister Gjiknuri, Kodheli and Klosi, who all together spend 930 million ALL (old) on airline tickets.
Frequent trips include the Ministry of Development, where for 2016 it has spent from the Albanian citizens’ taxes about 3,077,529 lek (new). According to the documents available at Boldnews.al, the number of cut tickets or destinations where Minister Eglantina Gjermeni has traveled has not become transparent. But the contract states that every plane ticket includes extra luggage, which implies that destinations may have overtaken the continent.
Boldnews.al also filtered the documentation for other ministries, but the figures turned out to be too modest compared to those 5 ministers who are most in flight time.
