The Tirana Prosecutor’s Office has completed its investigation and sent to trial 20 public officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on charges of “Abuse of Office” committed in collaboration, under Articles 248 and 25 of the Albanian Criminal Code.

The investigation, launched in 2025 following a referral from the Ministry itself and findings from the State Supreme Audit Institution (KLSH), revealed serious legal violations in seven public procurement procedures worth a total of 525 million lekë (excluding VAT).

The irregularities mainly involved tenders for:

crop protection and pest control materials,

purchase of veterinary service equipment (motorcycles, helmets, gloves, etc.),

purchase of cattle for compensating farmers affected by lumpy skin disease,

and installation of surveillance camera systems for hydropower drainage facilities.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the accused officials acted unlawfully throughout the procurement process — using non-transparent negotiation procedures, setting unclear or biased technical criteria, and conducting fake market testing.

These actions caused damage to public interests and violated procurement laws. The investigation concluded that there is sufficient evidence that the officials deliberately failed to perform their duties properly, thereby fulfilling the elements of the criminal offense.

The case, as noa report, considered one of the largest abuse-of-office prosecutions of 2025, has now been forwarded for trial to the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction in Tirana.