Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama faces corruption probes over Aruba meetings and beach‑cleaning tender

Opposition MP Gazment Bardhi cited a SPAK dossier alleging that Edi Rama and other senior Albanian officials attended meetings in Aruba, Germany, Belgium and Majorca, based on documents supplied by Belgian authorities. The dossier claims the gatherings were linked to suspected illicit‑fund projects in Albania. Rama dismissed the accusations, calling the “Aruba” claim an algorithm‑generated narrative, while Bardhi insisted the evidence includes video and photo material.

In a related corruption inquiry, a public tender for cleaning Albania’s beaches became entangled in a dispute involving Arlinda Pogaj, director of the Centralised Purchasing Operator, and businessman Luan Kapri. SPAK investigations led to Pogaj’s resignation and an administrative exclusion of Kapri’s company “Rej” Shpk from public contracts for six months, after allegations of mis‑information in qualification documents. The tender is also said to have been influenced by oligarch Shkëlqim Fusha. Prime Minister Rama intervened to resolve the stalled tender, which had been blocked amid accusations of favoritism and pressure on the procurement process.