Head of the Albanian Supreme Audit Office: An employee said that international support should be sought to audit the work of the Prime Minister

2025-10-29 13:40:00, Aktualitet CNA

Head of the Albanian Supreme Audit Office: An employee said that international

The Head of the Albanian Supreme Audit Institution, Arben Shehu, reported today at the joint session of the Economy Committee and the Committee on Civic Initiatives, the institution's activity for 2024.

During his responses to MPs' questions, Shehu said that he has encountered concerns from auditors regarding the conduct of the audit process.

He indicated that one of the SAI employees has expressed concerns about auditing the work of the prime minister. He adds that the auditors are seeking international assistance to provide them with the necessary support to conduct the audits.

"When I took office, I was faced with the request of an auditor in the first moments, who expressed a concern to me in the audit work. He asked me, he was part of the audit staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at that time it was headed by Deputy Minister Mr. Cakaj, and the auditor expressed to me the inability to address the findings, our observations to the minister. I asked for explanations, some kind of clarification of the concern and he told me that it is not a problem for us to address the responsible persons, who had been assessed as responsible for the possible violations. He replied that the concern is not the transmission to Cakaj, but the lack of the possibility to transmit the findings to the Prime Minister because he should be the leading authority in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As the head of the institution, I have been obliged to explain and provide some kind of logic with a primarily human and institutional care, due to other situations that have followed, the employee has left the institution and regarding the circumstances of the departure, I am ready to make available to you not only the practice, but to relate to you letter by letter the history of the problems that he has carried.

He has continuously sent me various letters, but in one specific case where he asked me, in the letter addressed to me, it was stated that I and not only I will ask international institutions to give me personally (the Chairman of the Supreme Audit Office) the necessary support to audit the work of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania because I have the opportunity due to fear to audit the work of the Prime Minister. Now what should I do in these types of situations? These are concrete cases, I appreciate them all. I put myself among those individuals who first and foremost fear God and the implementation of the law and until the last minute I will be part of and lead the Supreme Audit Office with the utmost correctness. I say this with full responsibility and I face it at every moment ," said Shehu. /CNA