Bulqize towards destruction
28/02/2013 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
The National Agency of Human Resources raised the alarm that the Bulqize
Mine is facing destruction. Top Channel has secured a confidential
document based on an inspection made by the National Agency of Natural
Resources, which says that the mine has only one year left.
According to the report made by Panajot Soko, Luan Dibra, Mark Peploka, Bajram Kullaj and Ardit Islami, the chrome reserves in the mine are only 70370 tons, less than the annual production.
The report is dated 20 November 2012 and was sent to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy, Edmond Haxhinasto. The warnings that the barbarian exploitations were bringing the mine to a tragic end now are turning reality. The failure to realize investments by DARFO and ACR, especially for digging deeper in the mine in order to increase its longevity, degraded one of the biggest public assets in our country. In this situation, besides the damage in the national economy, the town of Bulqize risks its existence, since the mines are their only financial resources.
Destruction of national asset
The evident danger is the final act of a decade of abuses, which starts with the illegal exploitation of chrome and then its abandonment.
This scheme was orchestrated by the private concessions, but had the government’s blessing, which allowed the barbarian exploitation through several government decisions.
Top Channel started reporting the abuses since 2009, when Genc Ruli postponed an investment program through a suspicious decision.
More than 13 million EUR should have been invested until 2009, but Ruli postponed them until 2012. The investments were needed for increasing the mine’s longevity with 30 years.
But even after this suspicious postponement, the investments were not realized by Albanian Chrome. Several experts warned that the mine was heading towards a tragic end. Even MPs from the majority joined these voices recently, who represent Bulqize in Parliament.
Top Channel discovered another official NAHR document dated July 2011, which says that the concessionary company has decreased the interest to invest in the mine and increase its longevity. Again, authorities took no measures but they allowed Balfin group, owned by Samir Mane. The details of the transaction never became public, although it is about the biggest mining asset in the country. For many experts, the transaction is suspicious and illegal, and its goal might not be the development of the mine, but recovering the unpaid VAT reimbursement that the government owed to ACR.
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