Audit Exposes Serious Tender Irregularities in Durrës Municipality Under Emiriana Sako: €30 Million in Procurement Examined
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The audit examined 27 public procurement procedures with a combined estimated value of 2.85 billion Albanian lekë, equivalent to approximately €30 million. Auditors identified problems involving tender criteria, technical specifications and the selection of winning companies.
The final report, prepared in October 2026, covers the municipality's activities during 2023 and 2024.
Winning companies allegedly failed to meet tender requirements
According to the KLSH findings, several companies were declared winners despite failing to meet specific qualification requirements established in the tender documentation.
Other procurement procedures were found to contain deficiencies in the calculation of estimated contract values, technical specifications and qualification criteria that lacked sufficient justification or legal support.
The findings prompted the audit institution to recommend that the Public Procurement Agency (APP) initiate administrative investigations and consider disciplinary measures against members of procurement units and evaluation commissions involved in 14 specific procedures.
The tenders under scrutiny include projects involving school construction, apartment building renovations, rehabilitation of the Taulantia promenade, road lighting and reconstruction of the Palace of Culture.
Audit identifies financial damage in public investment contracts
The problems extended beyond procurement procedures.
An examination of 11 investment contracts, worth approximately 2.21 billion lekë, identified discrepancies between the quantities of work invoiced and the work actually completed.
According to the audit report, these inconsistencies resulted in a negative financial impact of 30.35 million lekë, excluding VAT. The KLSH has called for the recovery of the corresponding amounts.
The report also identified other financial irregularities affecting municipal revenues.
These include:
- 18.7 million lekë in missing revenue resulting from incorrect calculations of the infrastructure impact tax.
- 69.89 million lekë in municipal fines that had been imposed but remained uncollected.
- 30.35 million lekë in financial impact associated with discrepancies between invoiced and completed construction work.
KLSH calls for accountability from Mayor Emiriana Sako
The audit report places particular emphasis on the responsibility of the municipality's leadership for the management of public resources and the functioning of its administrative structures.
KLSH specifically calls on Durrës Mayor Emiriana Sako, in her capacity as head of the contracting authority, to ensure that future tender criteria are established objectively, transparently and in accordance with the law.
The report contains 44 findings and 45 recommendations. Furthermore, the Supreme State Audit Institution issued a qualified opinion on the municipality's compliance with the applicable legal framework.
Who will answer for the management of public money?
The findings raise serious questions about the oversight of public procurement and the management of municipal investments in one of Albania's largest cities.
With millions of euros in public contracts examined and financial discrepancies identified across several areas, attention now turns to whether the recommendations will be implemented and whether those responsible for any confirmed violations will face appropriate consequences.
For the residents of Durrës, the central question remains: who will be held accountable for the management of public money during Emiriana Sako's administration?
The audit findings provide a basis for demanding answers, transparency and concrete corrective action. They do not, by themselves, establish criminal liability or prove personal wrongdoing by the mayor.