Albania; Privatization of four HPPs

The sale of four public hydropower plants to the Kurum Company spurred harsh debates between the opposition and the majority in Parliament.

“Today in this Parliament we are experiencing a funeral of the public property”, declared the Socialist MP, Arben Ahmetaj.

“This is the last week when Albanian assets will be sold so cheap”, declared the Socialist MP, Erjon Brace.

The opposition says that the entire privatization procedure is a corruption affair that starts with the obligatory strategic criteria for the buyer.

Erjon Brace: Money has turned our Prime Minister from the head of an institutional country to a banal seller. He changed the strategic conditions mid game to open the way to the chosen buyer.

The Minister of Economy, Edmond Haxhinasto: This is absurd. We removed this, we changed some terms, and the interest was much higher than before.

Erjon Braçe: Isn’t this corruption and illegal favouring of the winner? The four hydropower plants that produce 400 million KWh were sold to Kurum for 109 million EUR.

Sali Berisha: The average international privatization is 1.1MW and they are privatized with 1.4 MW.

Gramoz Ruçi: The opposition wants you to answer. You sold it for 100 million, and the profit by the end of the year is 20 million. All obligations paid for four years.

Sali Berisha: You gave away all the hydropower plants that you sold, with a price of 200.000 per MW.

Arben Ahmetaj: You are causing a 30 million annual damage to the budget.

Erjon Brace declared that the hydropower plants should remain public.

Erjon Braçe: Berisha’s private fatherland is replacing the public fatherland of all Albanians.

Sali Berisha: Privatization is an unchanged philosophy of this political force.

Gramoz Ruçi: Why did you fail with the first strategic privatization, such as distribution? Why did you fail with the next privatization of ARMO? Why did you fail with the third strategic privatization, Albpetrol? This is your privatization success.

Sali Berisha: The market economy has not a history of only successes. The constant successes that all are then multiplied with zero happen only in socialism.

The opposition says that they will cancel the corruptive privatization of the four hydropower plants.