The Democratic Party has accused the new Minister of Finance, Petrit Malaj, of being one of the people who manipulated the data of the 2023 Census, which took place in Albania.
The spokesperson for Anti-Corruption in DP, Genta Vangjeli, in a press release, said that the company that was once run by Malaj and today by his father and sister, has been contracted by INSTAT for services related to the population census.
"Petrit Limos Malaj, Minister of Finance, is connected to these private businesses:
1. BDO Albania shpk also owned by family members with his father and sister as administrators.
Malaj himself has been the direct administrator until December 2023.
2. PBM shpk owned by both parents and Petrit Malaj himself left direct ownership in July 2019 by selling the shares to his mother (the sales contract is mentioned as a number and date, but it is not filed with the CKB to reflect the details of sale).
The company BDO Albania has conducted the audit of the famous company of Erjon Veliajt Eco Tirana 2019-2021 against the value of 1.8 thousand ALL.
And according to Spending Data, during the years 2019-2024, a total of 5.8 million lek has benefited from Instat and the General Directorate of Durrës Railways.
It is precisely the contribution of the former director of AKBN and the current minister of finance, the product of the results dictated by Edi Rama of the last census and not only, with a decrease in unemployment and an increase in well-being, or minimally minimized numbers of Albanians who left abroad", said Vangjeli.
"For this, the company of the minister's family members, where the administrator himself was, has connected:
the agreement Grant Contract CENS 2020 no. 1252/2 dated 7.12.2018, contract no. 1038/13 dated 10.12.2019;
Grant IPA 2014/A/07 Cens 22, contract no. 721/12 dated 4.11.2022
IPA Grant 2019 Cens 22, contract 20200255 dt 7.03.2023
Grant contract no. 12550 Cens support, order no. 1067 dated 28.5.2024.
After the cyber attack on INSTAT, on February 7, 2024, the Director of the State Cyber Security Certification Agency, Igli Tafa, who speaking about the cyber attack on INSTAT, said that the census data were not affected, because they were not physically located at INSTAT , but in a physical location outside INSTAT.
On July 31, 2024, Petrit Malaj took the oath of office as Minister of Finance. But, can Albanians believe in the performance during the exercise of the duty in compliance with the law when Malaj contributed to the release of scandalous and untrue census data or for the exercise of the duty in violation of the law on conflict of interest, Article 35", accused Vangjeli on behalf of DP.