Press Release

Prosecution Office Fier has identified 7 customs official, including the former deputy/General Director of Customs, and has ordered their arrest after gaining the permission from the court, as responsible of the offense of “abuse of office”, for extinction of 4.4 million liters of “Virgin” diesel from company’s deposits “Tea Construction & Petrol”, managed by Adrian Xhillari, against whom is also issued the arrest warrant, since the latter is suspected of the offense “Smuggling goods to which excise duty is applied”.

The investigations of the Prosecution Office of Fier, according to the reference material of the General Directory of Customs, showed that the company of the citizen Xhillari has permission from the customs authorities to transport the "Virgin" oil owned by his company from the deposits of Mëzezi, Tirana toward the deposits near oil refinery in Ballsh.

But it turns out that this quantity of oil (4.4 million liters), which is not allowed to appear in the market has gross quality and has not arrived in deposits of Ballsh, but it is distributed through gas stations in different cities of Albania, being sold on open market. Besides the very large consequences at people’s vehicles, "disappearance" of this large quantity of oil has caused damages over 2 million euros from avoiding payment of excise duty.

Prosecution Office of Fier, following its investigation, has found that "disappearance" of 4.4 million liters of "Virgin" oil of "Tea Construction & Petrol" has happened because customs officials who were obliged to register the movement of the fuel quantity from Mëzezi to Ballsh and monitor its deposit in the respective warehouses, have not completed their duty at all.
For this reason, the Court of Fier, upon request of the Prosecution Office of this city, has set the security measures of "arrest in prison" for citizens, as follows:

1. Lula Njebza, Former Deputy / Director General of Customs;
2. Mirarbër Teneqexhiu, former Chairman of the Customs Tirana
3. Alfred Bushi, former Chief of Excise
4. Adrian Alikaj, excise customs officer
5. Syrja Misiraj, excise customs officer,
It is also set the security measure “house arrest” for the citizens:
6. Ortenca Zorba, excise customs officer
7. Elona Jareci, excise customs officer
Meanwhile, in May 2015 the Court set the security measure of "arrest in prison" for the offense of " Smuggling goods to which excise duty is applied ", for the citizen:

1. Adrian Xhillari, manager of the company "Tea Construction & Petrol". This person is currently international wanted as he left Albania before getting the security measure by the Court.