Balliu denounces “Smart City” project: Cost rose from €60 million to €118.5 million, US raises concerns over Presight AI and suspected links to China

Democratic Party MP Klevis Balliu has denounced the “Smart City Albania” project, calling for explanations over the doubling of its cost, the selection of the contracting company without competition, and the potential risks related to the security of citizens’ data.

Balliu said that in April 2024, the project was made public with a value of around $60 million, while, before a year had even passed, the contract had reached $118.5 million. According to the Democratic MP, the government has presented no convincing technical or financial argument for the increase and has provided no credible explanation as to why Albanians should pay double the bill.

He also raised concerns over the fact that the contract was signed without an open competitive procedure. According to him, avoiding competition runs counter to the transparency and competition standards provided for under Albanian legislation, as well as the commitments Albania has undertaken toward the European Union.

In his statement, Balliu said that Edi Rama’s government was imposing another $118.5 million burden on Albanians for “Smart City Albania,” a project that, he said, raises serious questions about the management of public funds, transparency and national security.

The MP argued that when hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars are distributed without competition or accountability, suspicions of the misuse of public funds become inevitable.

According to Balliu, the concerns are not limited to the financial aspect. The project envisages the installation of more than 5,000 smart cameras and sophisticated surveillance systems in Albania’s major cities, including schools. As a result, millions of pieces of data belonging to Albanian citizens will be processed through a system that will form part of the state’s critical infrastructure.

Balliu also focused on the contracting company Presight AI, which is part of the G42 group. He said that senior institutions of the United States have repeatedly expressed concerns over documented links between the group and entities close to the military and intelligence apparatus of the People’s Republic of China.

According to him, two committees of the US Congress have formally called for assessments and investigations into these links, describing them as an issue of strategic importance to security.

The Democratic MP stressed that Albania, as a NATO member, has clearly defined responsibilities for protecting critical infrastructure and citizens’ information. Nevertheless, he said, the government has published no independent assessment of the risks to national security and has not disclosed what safeguards have been put in place to protect the data the system will collect.

On behalf of Albanian citizens, the Democratic Party is demanding to know how a project valued at $60 million became a liability of $118.5 million, why no competition was held, and what guarantees the Albanian state has that citizens’ privacy and national security will not be compromised.

According to the statement, public funds, citizens’ privacy and national security cannot be treated by the government as confidential matters. They require full transparency, political responsibility and accountability from state institutions.

Balliu said these demands are among those that have been repeated every evening for 69 days at the civic protest held in front of the Prime Minister’s Office.

He added that the Democratic Party stands with citizens and their demands, while identifying only one person as responsible.

“Rama, resign!” the statement concluded.