FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
On the roof of the bus, the trunk of the car, put in a bag or suitcase... last year at least 73 Albanians and foreigners tried to put euros, dollars, pounds and francs into the country without declaring them. Data from the General Directorate of Customs show that the number of cases of non-declaration of cash and valuables at the border during 2023 almost doubled compared to 2022.
"In my opinion, the cases of non-declaration of money and valuables at the border are related to efforts to launder money, as well as to a lack of sufficient awareness. This is because the institutions work with campaigns, with hopes", said Brikena Kasmi, former Deputy Minister of Justice.
The data from "Customs" show that most of the money opened last year was EUR... over 2 million. The figure is almost twice as high as in 2022. The pound, dollar and franc are the other currencies with the highest values captured last year.
"This is because in Europe there is a higher concentration of criminal activity, which feeds money from unidentified sources. The routes from Great Britain are more sophisticated and more connected to politics, so fewer pounds are captured," said Kasmi.
From outside and inside the country, around 666 million euros obtained from illegal activities circulated and were cleaned in Albania last year. Most of this money, nearly 480 million euros, came from countries like Great Britain or Dubai, while 186.5 million was generated by criminal activity in the country.
"That's why we have so much money outside the banks. Over 26 percent of the total money in the country is informal," she added.
All persons who enter or leave Albania are obliged to declare amounts in cash or items worth 10,000 euros or more./A2
Lini një Përgjigje