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In the report for 2022, the European Commission says that it has found abuses of IPARD funds in the amount of 47 million euros in seven countries where it supports the development of agriculture and livestock.
Of this amount, about 75 percent, or 33 million euros, are suspected of being abused funds in Albania alone. For this, OLAF, the anti-corruption unit of the EU, has launched an investigation, while the Commission, as a preventive measure, has decided to suspend new funds within IPARD III.
SPAK is also investigating where this money ended up. Currently, the investigation is in the preliminary phase and the EU Accredited Assistance Programs Audit Agency is also under scrutiny.
This agency was established in 2009 through a decision of the Council of Ministers. It currently operates on the basis of a law approved in September 2016 and has the duty and responsibility to guarantee the legality, compliance, efficiency and prevention of corruption with EU funds through the audit of all central government units. local government, individuals, or private legal entities that benefit from these funds.
However, the figure of 33 million euros suspected of being abused in our country within the IPARD II funds suggests that the agency has successfully failed in its mission. The reasons? For at least four years, this agency itself has been in serious violation of the law on which it operates.
The law provides that the agency is managed by the Supervisory Council consisting of three members and the general director. But, for three years, the head of this agency, Alba Qirjazi, has ignored this requirement of the law and has appropriated the powers of the Supervisory Council.
The mandate of the Supervisory Council, consisting of Ana Sakiqi, Elda Kalaja and Hysen Çela, ended in November 2020. According to the law, Alba Qirjazi had to report officially to the Council of Ministers for the renewal of the mandate, in order to avoid questioning objectivity of the annual reports that the agency submits to the European Commission for the management of EU funds.
Voxnews.al learns that officially, Alba Qirjazi has justified the violation of the law to the European partners with the claim that he requested the amendment of the law and the abolition of the Supervisory Council.
The current law states that the Supervisory Council directs this agency and has the authority to approve the annual work programs, the approval of the agency's budget, the structure and salaries of the employees and up to the monitoring of the operation of the agency, including the monitoring of the activity of the general director.
But, since November 17, 2020, the Supervisory Council of the EU Funds Audit Agency has not been able to exercise these duties, as it has finished. From that date until today, the Auditing Authority Agency has not submitted a request to the Council of Ministers for the re-establishment of a new Supervisory Council.
In addition, the General Director, Alba Qirjazi, has justified to the European Commission that she exceeded this procedure, as the Supervisory Council hinders the institution's autonomy in relation to EU procedures.
Sources of Voxnews.al claim that Qirjazi has reported to the European Commission that he has prepared the legal changes and submitted them to the Council of Ministers for amendment, but this is an alibi to justify the serious violations of the law, as currently there is no submitted request from her to amend the law.
The actions of the leader raise strong doubts that the real reason why there is neither an amendment to the law nor a functional supervisory council in this agency is to continue with the serious violations in this agency, where Alba Qirjazi has exceeded her powers, where she herself proposes, signs herself and it seals itself.
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