FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Even if it is accepted that it has been a loss-maker, the law obliges the Ministry of Finance as the contracting authority and the General Directorate of Taxes to have requested the court to have the National Lottery declared bankrupt in 2015 and terminated as a concession...
The National Lottery, a concession granted by Berisha and protected by Rama, has been reporting losses since 2012, while for 13 years it has realized a guaranteed profit from gambling and has defrauded the state with the help of the auditors who now run the Tax Office.
There are few scandals in Albania that last 13 years and continue with the weight of the law on their backs, but without punishment.
The National Lottery concession, granted in 2012 by the Sali Berisha government and fanatically protected to this day by the Edi Rama government, is a typical case of white theft, with invoices, balance sheets, and a state-owned company.
The Austrian company "Albanisch Österreichische Lotterien Holding GmbH", located with an office opposite the Parliament and under the nose of the Ministry of the Interior, has deceived the Albanian state every year by reporting losses. Not one year. Not two. All years. From 2012 to 2024, that is, for 13 consecutive years, this company that has the monopoly of gambling in Albania, has declared financial losses.
A full 40 million euros in reported losses, while according to the contract, it should have guaranteed a minimum profit of 12 million euros per year and paid a 10% tax on annual turnover.
This means that the Albanian state budget has been defrauded of a total amount that goes beyond the 144 million euros of anticipated profit, while the balance sheet shows zero profits and millions of euros of “losses.” A financial absurdity and a fiscal crime that could not have happened without the help of the state itself.
And who helped this company in falsifying its balance sheets?
According to official documents obtained by "Pamfleti", the company "Audit Tax Advisory Albania Sh.pk (TPA)", owned by Ilir Binaj, was the auditor of the National Lottery. This name is not accidental: Ilir Binaj is a business partner with Petrit Malaj, until now Minister of Finance, and since October 2, 2024, by decision of Edi Rama himself, he has been appointed Director General of Taxation.
So the auditor who has accepted the lottery's loss-making balance sheets for 13 consecutive years has been appointed head of the institution that was supposed to control and punish this fraud. And he has done this with the blessing of the prime minister.
The concession in question is not simply a fiscal affair. It is a chain of corruption that includes: the Berisha government that awarded it with a contract, the Rama government that protects and renews it, the Ministry of Finance that remains silent, the Taxes that certify the forgery, and the auditors who are promoted to management positions as a reward for their service.
In any normal country, after two years of losses such a concession would be suspended and in the process of bankruptcy. In Albania, it survives for 13 years, increases activity and even receives additional financial favors from the government, while the public is manipulated with propaganda of the “war on gambling” type.
But one thing is certain: the real gambling is not played at the counters, but in government offices. And in this game, only the Albanian citizen loses./ Pamphlet
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