Translated from Albanian · Original article in Albanian →
TIRANË, 20 October 2026 – The Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) today notified former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku of the final charges for five criminal offences. The charges include violating the equality of participants in public tenders nine times, passive corruption, concealment of assets and money laundering involving two real estate properties.
This is the step that precedes sending the case to court, and it shows that the file has become far weightier than it was at the start of the investigation.
SPAK’s full statement:
The Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organised Crime today, 20.10.2026, notified the defendant Belinda Balluku of the final charges for the following criminal offences:
“Violation of the equality of participants in public tenders or auctions”, in collaboration (nine times), provided for by Article 258/2 and 25 of the Criminal Code.
“Passive corruption of persons exercising public functions”, provided for by Article 259 of the Criminal Code.
“Passive corruption of senior state officials or local elected officials”, provided for by Article 260 of the Criminal Code.
“Refusal to declare, non-declaration, concealment or false declaration of assets and private interests of elected persons and public servants, or of any other person legally obliged to declare” (twice), provided for by Article 257/a, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code.
“Laundering of the proceeds of a criminal offence or criminal activity”, provided for by Article 287, letter “b”, of the Criminal Code, committed under the aggravating circumstances of “in collaboration and more than once”, under Article 287/2 of the Criminal Code (for two real estate properties).
The Special Prosecution Office is continuing concrete procedural actions to notify the charges to the other persons involved in the same criminal case as well. Further details will be made public at a later stage.
From one charge to five criminal offences
When she was named a defendant in October 2025, Balluku was charged with only one offence: violating the equality of participants in public tenders, linked to the tender for the Llogara tunnel. The investigation was later extended to the Tirana Outer Ring Road, where SPAK alleges she favoured certain bidders. The tunnel project alone is estimated at around 190 million euros.
The number of contested tenders now stands at nine. But the biggest change lies elsewhere: the charges of passive corruption, concealment of assets and money laundering. The file no longer speaks only of breached procedures, but of personal gain and of properties where, according to the prosecution, the money may have ended up.
