The Albanian government is determined to go to the Arbitration Court
with the Canadian “Bankers Petroleum”. The Minister of Energy, Damian
Gjiknuri, left to be understood at the Parliamentary Commission of
Productive Activities that the divisions between the parties are deep.
“Audits made by specialized agencies have found inflated costs and this is the core of the conflict that has continued at the Court of Arbitration. The Arbitration is not something unexpected. It is part of the agreement. The Albanian party is taking all measures and has already recruited one of the most renowned international companies to defend the interests of the Albanian state”, Gjiknuri said.
“Bankers” accuses the Albanian government of not implementing the decision of the Court of Arbitration, which forces the Tax Office to unfreeze their accounts in Albania. Mr.Gjiknuri did not comment on this, but said the company’s threats to stop production is unaccepted.
“We do not want any company to give such messages or create problems with the oil production, because that would influence the economy. We cannot accept this language, because it is inappropriate”, the Minister of Energy declared.
The conflict between “Bankers” and the government culminated when the Tax Office froze the accounts of the Canadian company after instructed by the Albanian Court to force the payment of 75 million USD.
But “Bankers” sent the case to the Court of Arbitration where they secured an order that forces the Albanian authorities to unblock the accounts until the final decision of the Arbitration Court.
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