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Sokol Kondi
Tourism or re-education institution?
We are forced to treat another scandalous case, as we have done every month in our reports for the National Tourism Agency.
It’s about an employee of the NTA, which has been recruited without a copmpetition and breaking every law at the NTA, since he is convicted for forgery with criminal decision Nr. 190, dated 01.03.2004 given from Tirana District Court. We publicly ask Minister Arben Ahmetaj to clarify his position and knowledge about this case, and why he does not remove the subject and take measures for those who recruite and still keep the subject at work.
We also ask Minister Ahmetaj to inform the public if he has any knowledge that dismissal procedures against this person at the NTA started a few months ago, but suddenly the commission suspended the meetings, for whatsoever foreign or internal reason. The abovementioned person was being processed by his own institution for different reasons, such as non-appearance without any reason at work and for repeated serious disciplinary violations, precisely heavy insults towards colleagues.
The reasons why this commission suspended the meetings can be given by the institution and the DAP employee named Shtjepen, as well members of the commission. All this is easily verifiable through written form and charge sheets held by the commission, assuming that the evidence isn’t gone missing by hand of the institution’s secretariat. We invite the line ministry, prosecution office, DAP and KLSH to investigate this and the following cases.
Private business with NTA
Rally Albania, a private car racing activity that went on during June, has been highly promoted by the NTA Director on her Facebook profile. According to Rally Albania official website, the NTA Director seems to be the administrator of this car racing business.
The question that needs to be asked is: The director gets paid to promote Albanian tourism, or her privat business? Furthermore, during the annual Rally Albania activity, many NTA employees have been part of the director’s privat company activity, leaving their jobs on official working days and hours. We are ready to offer to any investigating institution the paper work that prove this case and any other accusation related to abuse of office by the NTA personnel. If the damage of 92 million ALL caused to the state was not enough, power gets treated with greediness and indecency, like it is a private inherited property and not a state institution that should serve all and not just a few.
Economy in stagnation
As for the economic situation, since we started APPA reports in January, exports, imports and trade deficit have been negative every month (at least up to May, last month refered from INSTAT)
According to INSTAT on April, merchandise exports diminished by 10.0% comparing to April 2014 and 7.8% comparing to March 2015. Imports also reduced by 2.0% comparing to April 2014 and 2.2% comparing to March 2015. Trade deficit of this minth is 23 billion ALL, increasing by 6.5% comparing to April 2014 and 3.3% comparing to March 2015.
Regarding enterprises, there has been a growth of companies that result active during 2014, as well as employment during last month increased by 0.9%. But this is a completely different reality from what Minsiter Ahmetaj often states, which based on who knows what speaks about 9% growth of employment level. Last time the minister said that 100.000 young people got employed. With INSTAT number in hands, that states that in Albania about 1000 new enterprises have been added during 2014, it means that each one of them should have employed 100 persons in order to fulfil the minister’s prophecies.
The current government, known for its extraordinary PR skills even when there’s no news, imagine the trumpeting of 1000 companies that have employed 100 employees each. Where are they? The minister could have argued about agriculture and livestock employment, but even their growth around 1% in the last months wouldn’t justify the abovementioned contention.
References:
1- Ministria e Zhvillimit Ekonomik, 11 Qershor 2015,
2- Gazeta Mapo, 23 Qershor 2015, http://www.mapo.al/2015/06/blegtoria-rritje-modeste-me-2014-kreret-shtohen-vetem-me-03
3- Rally Albania, http://rallyalbania.org/ra_15/o_team_14.html
4- Instituti i Statistikave, http://www.instat.gov.al/al/home.aspx
5- APPA, Ministria e Zhvillimit Ekonomik, Turizmit, Tregtisë dhe Sipërmarrjes, Raporti i Muajit Maj 2015, https://appa.brentonkotorri.com/raport-maj-2015-ministria-e-zhvillimit-ekonomik-turizmit-tregtise-dhe-sipermarrjes/
6- Gazeta Mapo, 30 Qershor 2015, http://www.mapo.al/2015/06/rritja-spektakolare-e-eksporteve-e-ahmetajt-bien-4-1