Salillari has been fined €5.1 million by the Durrës Customs Office for evading taxes on fuel. In Decision No. 626, the authorities determined that a customs debt had been created through violations of procedures involving more than 1.32 million kilograms of fuel declared under NATO’s tax-exemption regime.
Official documents obtained during the customs investigation in the Porto Romano Sector show that Salillari held Exemption Authorization No. 14695. It enabled the company to import materials intended exclusively for the construction of the NATO Air Base in Kuçovë without paying VAT, excise duty or customs duties.
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Through on-site inspections and an examination of data in the Asycuda computer system, auditors found that there was no specific exemption request approved by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for 1.3 million kilograms of 10 ppm diesel fuel.
As the authorizing document had not been submitted during customs clearance, customs treated the relevant quantity as “goods in free circulation,” improperly included under the exemption regime.
In their administrative appeals, the company’s representatives challenged the validity of the customs procedures, arguing that the goods were covered by the framework agreement between Albania and NATO. They refused to sign the report, while Customs rejected their claim.
For the unpaid obligations, the customs authority’s initial calculation amounted to 156 million lekë. This sum consisted of 60.4 million lekë in excise duty, 48 million lekë in VAT, 42.7 million lekë in circulation tax and 4.7 million lekë in carbon tax.
The violation was classified as an administrative customs offense committed through negligence, under Article 252 for failure to comply with deadlines and procedures. As a result, the company was imposed a penalty equal to twice the unpaid obligation, amounting to 312 million lekë. Together with the initial obligation, the total amount Salillari must pay reaches 468 million lekë, or €5.15 million.
