A U.S.-backed energy project in Albania is under investigation. Reports say it helped fund companies linked to Iran’s military and illegal oil trade.
The Energy Deal
In 2022, former U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim supported an energy plan for Albania. The plan moved two power ships from Bangladesh to Albania. These ships were supposed to help with electricity production.
The government quickly bought the ships from an American company. But an investigation by Hashtag.al found a problem. The ships produce power at four times the cost of Albania’s normal energy. The high cost caused delays. But a contract forced the government to use them anyway.
Albania needed fuel to run the ships. The state power company, KESH, ordered 21,000 tons of fuel for $11 million. Documents show KESH acted as the fuel importer. But KESH did not have a license to import fuel.
Shady Fuel Suppliers
The fuel came from a Swiss company called EMAD Energy S.A. Its name matches an Iranian missile. Reports say EMAD supplied fuel to Albania before. In 2021, it worked with a Turkish company, ASB Group, to send fuel there.
The U.S. sanctioned ASB Group in 2023. A leak showed EMAD and ASB worked together to ship 3,400 tons of fuel to Albania in 2021. The deal was made with Algeria’s state oil company, Sonatrach. Algeria has strong ties with Iran.
Smuggling Operation Exposed
More leaked documents show ASB Group was deeply involved in Albania. In 2020, a Turkish-owned company in Albania, MAC General Trading shpk, helped move $36 million worth of Iranian oil.
Emails reveal MAC’s manager, Murat Halli, spoke with ASB Group’s Kazim Oztaz. They discussed an oil deal. In 2023, Oztaz was convicted in a U.S. court for breaking oil trade sanctions.
Records show MAC General Trading bought Iranian oil through another company, Madolia Group. This confirms that Albania was used as a hub to smuggle oil.
Political Ties and Allegations
Prime Minister Edi Rama has close ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This may have helped ASB Group operate in Albania. Energy Minister Belinda Balluku also failed to stop these deals.
Sitki Ayan, ASB Group’s owner, is linked to Iran’s military. He is also close to Erdoğan. His connections helped him use Albania for illegal fuel trade.
Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin accused Yuri Kim of ignoring Rama’s deals. He said she did this to secure a future job as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey.
