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“We declare that we want to continue our collaboration with IMF and other international institutions, but we cannot accept the fact that this institution closes its eyes in front of fraud and we cannot sell cheap our companies only because IMF wants to close successfully and in time their agreement with Albania”, said in a press conference Mr. Gjergj Buxhuku, LZHK expert for economic and financial issues.

The IMF mission has declared it wants to bring to close the privatization process thereby at the same time considering as regular the latest bid for Albtelecom, in which a Turkish Consortium has offer EUR120 million for 76 % of Albtelecom shares.

The opposition has brought up accusations of fraud in the tender and has requested from government to stop the privatization at least during the pre-election period. Local media has also accused that the government of wanting to sell the most important state property to a group of unknown and unserious Turkish businessmen’s, linked to Prime Minister Fatos Nano.

The media and the general public believe that Albtelecom costs much more then the EUR120 million price offered. Albtelecom’s last year turn-over was estimated at over EUR100 million with a before tax profit of EUR17 million.

Today, the representative of European Bank of Reconstruction and Development in Tirana, Murat Yilldrin welcomed the sell-off procedure and spoke in support of Calik Enerji, one of the two Turkish consortium companies which have offered to buy Albtelecom. “We have collaborate in other countries with Calik Enerji, there are very serious”, Mr. Yilldrin said.