Business
Vlora Triport: “Vetting” questions company with 10,000 lek in capital that holds 92% of concession
According to the “Vetting” program on News24, Premium Construction was set up four months before winning the port concession and later bought its partners’ shares at symbolic prices.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 25, 2026, 20:30 · Updated 18:40 · 1 min read
In brief
- The concession for the integrated “Triport Vlorë” port was signed in 2022 with a bid of about 4.06 billion lek.
- According to “Vetting,” three of the five partners sold their shares in September 2022 for 2,500 to 3,000 euros.
- Lawmaker Jorida Tabaku and economist Zef Preçi point to a lack of transparency; the companies and the ministry did not respond.
The investigative program “Vetting” on News24, published by BalkanWeb on Sunday evening, raises questions about the companies that control the concession for “Triport Vlorë,” the integrated port under construction about 9 kilometers northeast of Vlora.
How the concession was awarded
According to the program, the tender opened in 2021 and five companies, Premium Construction and Maintenance, ITE Group, Agbes Construction, AnkonStudio and BESTA, joined together as “Vlora Harbor Construction & Maintenance.” Their bid was about 4.06 billion lek; the ministry declared them the winner on Oct. 21, 2021, and the ten-year contract was signed about six months later.
In September 2022, according to “Vetting,” three of the companies sold their shares at prices the program calls symbolic, 2,500 to 3,000 euros, to Premium Construction and Maintenance, administered by Hektor Agalliu, and to ITE Group, administered by Sokol Zotaj. According to opencorporates.al data cited by the program, Premium was created four months before winning the concession with initial capital of 10,000 lek, now owns 92% of the concession company and has reported losses of tens of millions of lek since 2022. On March 16, 2023, the shares were pledged to Banka e Tiranës.
Allegations and silence
Lawmaker Jorida Tabaku calls the company with minimal capital a “shield” and questions the ministry’s oversight. Economist Zef Preçi speaks of a lack of transparency and possible corrupt interests, while lawyer Redi Ramaj says the people named lack the financial capacity of a strategic investor.
The program contains no response from Agalliu, Zotaj or the responsible ministry. The allegations remain claims by the sources cited and have not been verified by any institution.
