I Could Have Gone to Dubai Too, But I Love France” / The Story of the Albanian Millionaire Who Flew Over the Penly Nuclear Plant and Was Arrested

Ermal Beqiri, 44, who is suspected in Albania of fraud and embezzlement through fraud, was arrested in France after his plane flew over the Penly nuclear power plant. He remains in Beauvais prison, while French authorities have begun investigating his assets in the country.

The incident began on July 25, when Beqiri, while piloting his small plane over Seine-Maritime, called his mother. It is not known whether this was a distraction or a navigational error, but the plane ended up flying over the Penly nuclear power plant, located between Dieppe and Le Tréport and considered a highly sensitive site.

After landing at Méaulte Airport, near Albert, in the Somme department, he was met on the runway by waiting authorities. Beqiri was arrested, appeared before the prosecutor and, on July 27, appeared before the court in Amiens for unauthorized flight over a nuclear site, as part of the guilty-plea procedure.

He was fined €7,000 for the violation. For someone described as a millionaire, the amount was considered almost a minor consequence of the incident.

However, the arrest did not end with payment of the fine. Since that day, he has not been released, as Albania has sent France a request for his extradition. In his country of origin, Beqiri is wanted for criminal offenses related to fraud and organized embezzlement.

Albanian authorities suspect that he played a role in a major corruption scandal involving rigged tenders and sums of millions of euros.

SPAK, based on statements reported by AFP in early August, estimates that further investigations conducted in France have led to the discovery of several assets belonging to Ermal Beqiri that are suspected of having criminal origins.

According to the Albanian Prosecutor’s Office, the following have been identified in France:

– bank accounts with a total value of more than €2 million;

– two apartments;

– a private/tourist aircraft;

– vehicles;

– a château in the Oise department, in northern France, purchased for approximately €2.6 million.

Several Albanian media outlets have reported that this is the Château d’Auteuil, located in Berneuil-en-Bray, south of Beauvais.

However, before becoming the focus of investigations, Beqiri had a well-known profile in Albania. Educated in France and a systems information engineer by profession, he held important positions in public institutions. At the same time, he was presented as an independent expert, including through work in the field of combating cybercrime.

In 2021, he bought the company Soft & Solution and later expanded its activities in Albania’s information technology market. His LinkedIn profile also features a photograph with President Emmanuel Macron. According to available information, the photograph may have been taken in May 2025, during the French president’s official visit to Albania.

Ermal Beqiri has been held at Beauvais prison for a month. On Thursday, August 20, he asked the Amiens Court of Appeal panel to release him.

His lawyer described the detention as unlawful. According to the defense, Beqiri had learned from the Albanian media that he was wanted and had informed the French authorities of this fact before the Penly incident.

“He placed himself at the authorities’ disposal and gave them his address. How, then, can we speak of a ‘wanted person who has fled’?” the lawyer said.

The prosecution asked that the businessman not be released, arguing that his financial means and pilot’s license could give him the opportunity to quickly evade the authorities.

In his final statement, Beqiri said: “I came to France at the age of 16; my second family is here. Yes, I travel a lot: Turkey, Slovenia, France… I could have gone anywhere, even Dubai, but I love France. Although I did not choose the best place to hide, nor the best place for taxes…”

On August 25, the court ruled that Ermal Beqiri should remain in prison.