DP seeks inquiry committee into KAYO, Bardhi: Shed light on how Rama’s friend Ron Yefet received €34 million

The Democratic Party has submitted a request to establish a parliamentary inquiry committee to examine KAYO’s activities. During a meeting of the Conference of Chairpersons, Democratic Party parliamentary group leader Gazment Bardhi said that every Albanian should learn how Ron Yefet, whom he described as a friend of Edi Rama, received €34 million.

Bardhi argued that the role of an inquiry committee is to obtain and verify information.

According to him, the opposition has included in its request all the information and indications related to KAYO’s activities.

He said that KAYO has so far used €34 million from the state budget without producing anything. Bardhi said it is unclear what the state has gained and what activities have been carried out, while also raising questions about the company’s relationships with private partners. According to him, the only person to have benefited from this money is Ron Yefet, whom he described as a friend of the prime minister.

The head of the Democratic Party parliamentary group also referred to published audio recordings, which he said had been confirmed as authentic by the company where the recording was made.

He claimed that in these recordings Ron Yefet appears to be acting as defense minister and speaks openly about arms trafficking, as well as selling weapons to countries in conflict.

These remain claims by the opposition, while the audio recordings, taken on their own, do not constitute verified evidence that a criminal offense was committed. The purpose of the opposition’s request is precisely to secure institutional verification of these claims.

Bardhi recalled that the minister had been summoned for an interpellation and had stated that the company had produced and sold weapons. Later, according to him, the deputy minister said that no production had taken place, prompting him to call for the truth to be clarified.

Returning to the sum of €34 million, Bardhi drew a comparison with the incinerators case, saying that the same answers had been given in that instance as well, but it later emerged that the money was “being burned out in the open.”

He said the opposition has long been requesting information from the Ministry of Defense regarding KAYO’s activities, contracts, and agreements with private companies, but that the information has not been made available.

According to Bardhi, the minister has refused to provide it, and for this reason he has appealed to the speaker of Parliament.

Bardhi asked whether MPs should enter the ministry themselves to obtain the documents, stressing that this is precisely why an inquiry committee is needed. He added that failure to provide information to such a committee is subject to the Criminal Code.

According to him, the opposition is only seeking access to the contracts signed between the state-owned company and the private company.

Bardhi called for clarification on how KAYO selected Ron Yefet, what qualifications he has apart from the fact that, according to Bardhi, he is a friend of Edi Rama, and how he managed to receive €34 million in just six months.

In conclusion, Bardhi said the opposition is ready to discuss and revise the scope of the inquiry. He stressed that the establishment of the inquiry committee does not depend on permission from the majority, as this right is guaranteed by the Constitution, while discussions may focus only on the scope of the investigation.