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AIDA has become the link that connects public money with oligarchs, while Laura Saro, who came from private partnerships linked to Bankers Petroleum, today holds state funds, EU funds and the strategic investment filter, under the political protection of Edi Rama, without lists of beneficiaries and without any accountability...
The Albanian Investment Development Agency is not a second-rate institution nor a business information office, but is the structure that distributes state grants to small enterprises, directs European Union funds and closely follows strategic investment files, becoming the point where public money passes and decisions that produce economic benefit for private companies are made.
AIDA has funds for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in its hands, funds that come from the state budget and are provided as full support, up to 2.5 million lek for current expenses and up to 1.5 million lek for capital expenses, without requiring a return and without taking financial risk, while for the period 2020–2026 there is no public list of beneficiaries to show who has received this money, how many times they have received it and on what basis.
In the absence of these lists, funds for small businesses cannot be controlled by the public, because it is not known whether they are going to entities that are truly in need or to companies that have access and connections to enter this scheme.
In addition to state funds, AIDA plays a role in guiding and assisting European Union funds, mainly through the IPA and IPARD programs, where IPARD alone brings about 17 million euros per year to the agri-food sector, while IPA covers competition, innovation and economic development, but even here there is no clear public overview showing which Albanian companies benefit, which are assisted in preparing files and which are left out.
Another important part of AIDA's power is related to strategic investments, because this agency follows up and prepares files that end in approval for projects that benefit from state land with symbolic rent, accelerated permit procedures, infrastructure paid for by the state, and fiscal incentives, while the total value of active projects exceeds 4.5 billion euros.
Most of these projects belong to local companies, not foreign investors, while in some documented cases, companies with minimal capital have received projects worth tens of millions of euros, raising questions about the real selection criteria and the role that AIDA plays in this process.
Even AIDA's operational budget itself is not published in detail, making it impossible to know how much this agency spends on salaries, consultancies, travel, and other activities, while managing public money and European funds.
At the head of this institution is Laura Saro, appointed executive director in September 2023, who is currently in charge of distributing funds to small businesses, directing European Union funds, funds for startups, and pursuing strategic investments, i.e. all the main links where money and economic privileges pass.
Connection with Bankers
Before taking on this role, Laura Saro was involved in private activity through the company PCG, where she had a partnership with Besnik Çerekja, a name that appears in the Bankers Petroleum file, where millions of euros were benefited through invoices and contracts, a file that has raised questions about the flow of money and the real beneficiaries for years.
PCG ’s balance sheets show that the company has been circulating significant amounts of cash without having any assets or investments. In 2020 alone, PCG declared over 230 thousand euros in service revenues, during a period when its main client was Bankers Petroleum, a company at the center of a serious case regarding cash flow and contract beneficiaries. At the same time, PCG does not report any assets, equipment or investments, raising questions about the nature of these billings and their connection to the broader Bankers payment scheme.
Besnik Çerekja turns out to have benefited from around 4.4 million euros from Bankers Petroleum, while Laura Saro, as a partner in PCG, does not appear in the Fier Prosecutor's Office file, raising questions about how the investigation was structured and why some beneficiaries were treated differently than others.
What is PCG-NPO (SIG Foundation)?
Why does PCG donate 15% of its income to an NGO?
Is this a way to transfer funds?
Who are the ultimate beneficiaries of this NGO?
Is there a connection to Bankers Petroleum or a related third party?
Today, the same Laura Saro is at the head of AIDA, an agency that manages state funds, European funds and procedures that produce direct benefits for private companies, creating an open conflict of interest between the past and the public function. /Pamphlet
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