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Why doesn't the government provide transparency about the military agreement with "Elbit Systems"? The fact that the Israelis have had affairs with NATO also raises doubts about the contracts with Albania...
Edi Rama is facing a strong political and strategic test. At a time when NATO has suspended the Israeli company Elbit Systems for involvement in serious corruption scandals, Albania is one of the only countries that is deepening cooperation with this company.
With the agreement of the past few weeks, the Albanian government has not only entrusted Elbi with the supply of heavy artillery and military drones, but has also granted it the right to establish a production plant on Albanian territory, an action that raises serious questions about transparency, loyalty to allies, and the institutional capacity to reject offers with corrupt connotations.
According to an investigation published by the international network Follow The Money, Elbit Systems and its subsidiary Orion Advanced Systems were suspended by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) on July 31, following “serious allegations of involvement in sanctionable practices,” including bribes to secure military contracts. The suspension is not merely symbolic: Elbit cannot participate in any NATO tenders and some of its existing contracts have been blocked.
It is in this context that, just a few months later, Albania chooses to conclude a major agreement with this company. The agreement, signed in September and made public in November by Haaretz, foresees the supply of 155 mm ATMOS truck-mounted howitzers, 120 mm SPEAR mortars, as well as two types of tactical drones: Magni-X and Thor. In addition to the supply, Elbit will build a 5,000 m² military plant in the north of the country, in cooperation with the Albanian state-owned company KAYO, established in 2024 to develop the domestic defense industry.
No details about the value of the contract have been made public. There is no transparency about the source of funding, the timelines, nor about parliamentary oversight of this agreement.
Meanwhile, NATO itself is at the center of a wide-ranging scandal that has led to raids in Belgium and the US, with several of its officials under investigation for taking bribes from companies like Elbit. The scandal has also involved the NSPA in Luxembourg, and according to FTM sources, US investigations into the companies involved were abruptly and inexplicably closed in July – a development that has heightened suspicions of political interference and collusion.
The godfather of the agreement between the Albanian government and the Israeli company was the controversial Israeli businessman with Albanian roots, Ron Yeffet, known as a close friend of Edi Rama.
Israeli Ron Yeffet has made massive inroads into the most powerful sectors of the Albanian economy: energy, transportation, tourist resorts, digital technology, and most recently the arms industry. All of this he has acquired through government decisions and the personal blessing of Edi Rama.
In August 2025, Yeffet took over the monopoly on armaments and military vehicles, through the Turkish company “Timak Defense”, as an 80% partner in the state-owned company “KAYO sh.a.”. To the public, this was presented as an international agreement. But the documents show that Yeffet is a personal friend of the prime minister and a broker for his shady dealings.
His connections go even further: Yeffet is a partner in several companies with Sinan Idrizi, known for international fraud, money laundering and trafficking. In 2018, the two of them, through the company "Mifol Inert sh.pk", used gravel and ballast from the Vjosa River without permission for the construction of the Vlora airport runway.
So far there has been silence from the government, but answers are definitely needed. What will Edi Rama do? Will cooperation continue, or will he return to the Turks, with whom he clashed after the agreement with the Israelis? Also, this scandal sheds light on the contracts signed by the Ministry of Defense, as foreign companies do not pass any filter. Also, why is there no transparency on this agreement? / Pamphlet
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