TIRANA, ALBANIA – The sweltering August afternoon of August 26th, as the sun cast long shadows over Durrës beach, a stark scene unfolded on the highway near Plepa. A black Audi, the emblem of a certain affluence, was brought to a halt, not by traffic, but by a cordon of unmarked police vehicles. Inside sat Ergys Agasi, a former official of the Ministry of Environment and a businessman, now accused by the Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) of orchestrating a sophisticated criminal enterprise. SPAK alleges Agasi led a structured criminal group that employed every means, from corruption to kidnapping, to control and manipulate public tenders, particularly those linked to the National Agency of Information, AKSHI.
The images released by the State Police depicted Agasi, clad in a simple white t-shirt and shorts, surrounded by officers. His hands were bound behind his back, his head bowed – a stark contrast to the powerful figure he is alleged to have been. This arrest marked the dramatic culmination of an investigation that has sent ripples through the highest echelons of Albanian politics and security services.
The Web of Accusations: From State Secrets to Tender Manipulation
Agasi’s alleged criminal activities extended far beyond mere financial malfeasance. Less than a month after his arrest, on September 21st, the Special Court ordered the security measure of "arrest in prison" and suspension from duty for Vlora Hyseni, the Director of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH). Hyseni is suspected of aiding Agasi during his fugitive period and potentially leaking classified information. The probe also ensnared Ilir Proda, former Director of the State Police, who has reportedly been questioned by SPAK in connection with the circumstances of Agasi’s escape and alleged protection.
The investigative file against Vlora Hyseni, leaked to the media, revealed a deeply personal connection: a romantic relationship with Agasi. While Hyseni denies the accusations, she reportedly justified her communication with the fugitive businessman by his status as an SHISH informant. However, former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj has pointed to a far more significant political connection, suggesting Agasi’s influence stemmed from a "very serious political friendship" with Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Ahmetaj publicly described Agasi as a "coordinator" between the Rama government and organized crime groups, an assertion vehemently denied by both Agasi and Rama. Prime Minister Rama, while not denying a personal acquaintance or affinity with Agasi, insisted that a personal relationship did not translate into public function, and that Agasi had no authorization to act on his behalf. Despite lacking an official mandate, SPAK’s investigation portrays Agasi as an individual with direct influence over the distribution of multi-million euro public contracts, allegedly securing him substantial financial gains.
A Meteoric Rise: From Business to the Ministry of Environment
Ergys Agasi was born in Durrës in March 1987. His father, Bardhyl Agasi, was a Socialist Party MP for Durrës for three terms, serving as the deputy speaker of the socialist parliamentary group and secretary of the Public Information Means Committee.
Agasi’s early online footprint is not linked to public administration but to business. In November 2011, at the age of 24, he appeared as a partner and briefly administrator of "Agasi Markoudis Group," a Durrës-based company involved in construction, trade, and real estate. The company entered liquidation two years later.
His public career in the administrative sphere began in October 2013, just weeks after the "Rama" government took office. Agasi surfaced as the chief inspector for the Environment in an operation against inert material companies in Zall Herr. His asset declarations officially registered him as the chief inspector of the State Inspectorate of Environment and Forests from February 21, 2014, at the young age of 26.
The Ministry of Environment was then headed by Lefter Koka, who would later be arrested for corruption and money laundering in connection with the incinerator scandal. The position of chief inspector provided Agasi with direct contact with businesses, permits, inspections, and state structures controlling key economic sectors. During his tenure at the Ministry of Environment, Agasi forged ties with former SP MP Alqi Bllako, who served as General Secretary from 2013-2016.
In July 2016, while Agasi was still chief inspector, he co-founded EA Logistics with Edmond Bllako, Alqi Bllako’s father, each holding a 50% stake. After leaving public administration, Agasi became the company’s administrator and, in July 2018, purchased Edmond Bllako’s shares, becoming the sole owner.
Proximity to Power: Business Expansion and Allegations of Influence
By late 2021 or early 2022, businessman Orest Sota recalls regularly seeing Ergys Agasi at the "Chocolattini" café in Tirana’s former Blloku district. Agasi was a regular for breakfast, while Sota frequented the café for coffee. Their initial polite greetings evolved into a stronger relationship. Sota later testified to SPAK that he heard Agasi was gaining significant market power, described as a "powerful businessman with political connections."
This market reputation appeared to fuel the growth of his businesses. After becoming the sole owner of EA Logistics, Agasi renamed it EA Tobacco in March 2019. Its revenue surged from approximately 6.2 million ALL in 2017 to 291.5 million ALL in 2021, and 470.5 million ALL the following year.
Expansion into the tobacco sector continued through Special Tobacco, a company established in 2018. EA Tobacco gained full control, and by February 28, 2020, the shares were directly transferred to Agasi. The company dealt with the trade of cigarettes and tobacco products, later rebranding as EA Logistic. Here too, growth was rapid, with annual turnover reaching approximately 371 million ALL in 2021 and 559 million ALL in 2022.
In March 2023, Agasi ventured into the information technology sector with the creation of EA Solution, where he was the sole owner and initially the administrator. The company’s objective was to provide IT services, telecommunications, and IT systems. In its first year of operation, EA Solution reported a turnover of approximately 242.4 million ALL and a pre-tax profit of around 232.1 million ALL. It was this company that would later become a central element in SPAK’s investigation into AKSHI tenders.
Ahmetaj’s Denunciation: The "Coordinator" Emerges
For years, Ergys Agasi remained a relatively unknown figure to the public, despite the expansion of his businesses and wealth. This changed in 2024 when former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, in an interview with the Italian RAI 3 program "Report," placed him at the center of his accusations against the Edi Rama government.
Ahmetaj described Agasi as a "coordinator" between the Prime Minister and organized crime groups, alleging the businessman acted as an intermediary between political power and criminal elements, even during electoral processes. "If I give you the name of the coordinator, Ergys Agasi," he told journalist Sigfriddo Ranucci, claiming the Durrës businessman had become "on behalf of Rama, the coordinator of all groups."
In subsequent statements, Ahmetaj claimed the relationship between Rama and Agasi was much closer than publicly apparent. According to him, Agasi attended the Prime Minister’s private lunches and dinners and had direct access to his inner circle. Ahmetaj also alleged Agasi was present at a dinner at the governmental residence, which was also attended by former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Prime Minister Rama himself did not deny his acquaintance or personal closeness with Agasi. Following the businessman’s arrest, the Prime Minister described it as a "human relationship" but emphasized that Agasi had no mandate or authorization to act on his behalf. "Now, they have made many connections or many insinuations with my acquaintances. The acquaintance with a person or another person is not a public function. Neither the photograph, nor personal reports, nor the claim that I have with him, I speak on his behalf, etc. I have never authorized anyone to speak on my behalf or to do state work in my name," Rama declared on September 11, 2026, in the podcast "Flasim." He added, "Of course, I regret finding myself in a situation where a person with whom I had a human relationship for one reason or another, is exposed as a person with problems with the law. But on the other hand, I am completely free because, beyond regret, everyone there faces the law with themselves and their lawyer."
Cigarette Smuggling and the Shadow of Investigation
In early 2025, Agasi further expanded his interests in the tobacco industry by purchasing the company "Albania Tabak" in Librazhd. The agreement stipulated the full transfer of shares to EA Tobacco after the previous owners settled the company’s obligations. On the surface, it appeared to be another step in expanding his cigarette business.
However, the factory Agasi was acquiring was already under SPAK investigation for cigarette smuggling. According to the investigation, in previous years, quantities of cigarettes produced or declared for export were suspected of being diverted to the illegal market through falsified documentation and destinations. One of the investigated incidents involved a shipment intercepted by Greek authorities in 2023.
The main episodes of smuggling that SPAK was investigating predated Agasi’s acquisition of "Albania Tabak." At that time, he was not the owner of the factory and was not implicated in the suspected scheme set up by the former administrators and owners. Nevertheless, the purchase of the company brought Agasi closer to a Special Prosecution investigation for the first time. In the summer of 2025, agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (BKH) conducted searches at his residence and businesses as part of the proceedings for cigarette smuggling.
Agasi publicly stated that he was not under investigation in that matter and was unaware of the suspected activities of the factory’s previous owners, asserting that acquiring "Albania Tabak" was a business decision. The BKH searches, however, marked a turning point in his trajectory. For the first time, Agasi’s name was linked not only to companies, assets, and perceived proximity to power but also to a criminal investigation by SPAK.
AKSHI Tenders: The Core of the Criminal Allegations
Following their acquaintance in the former Blloku district, Orest Sota and Ergys Agasi grew closer, aided by their mutual friendship with Alqi Bllako. According to Sota’s testimony, a close friendship developed between them over time. This friendship later took on a practical dimension. Agasi asked Sota to find a rented apartment for the director of AKSHI, Mirlinda Karçanaj. Sota offered one of his properties near the "Air Albania" stadium, where Karçanaj subsequently moved in.
Sota told investigators he did not know Karçanaj and had never met her. The arrangement, according to him, was made through Agasi. He also stated that he set the rent at a minimal level "to do a favor to citizen Ergys Agasi for friendship."
On December 16, 2025, SPAK announced the issuance of an arrest warrant for Ergys Agasi, suspected of being the head of a criminal group that, according to the prosecution, had manipulated AKSHI tenders by favoring specific companies, using fictitious invoices, and employing pressure and violence. Mirlinda Karçanaj and deputy director Hava Delibashi are suspected of influencing tender criteria to favor "Soft & Solution," "First," "Fastech," and other companies indirectly linked to Agasi.
Companies that won tenders from AKSHI allegedly transferred substantial sums to the accounts of Agasi’s company, EA Solutions, through contracts and invoices for services that were not actually rendered. SPAK claims Agasi used pressure and violence to limit competition and control market operators. He is suspected of ordering the kidnapping of businessman Gerond Meçe on August 12, 2025, by masked individuals to force him to withdraw appeals against AKSHI tenders that challenged the interests of companies linked to Agasi.
Rapid Enrichment: The Lavish Lifestyle of the Accused
When he left state administration in 2017, Ergys Agasi declared assets including 106,000 euros in cash, a Mercedes-Benz, an apartment valued at around 70,000 euros, a garage, and his shares in EA Logistics. Nine years later, SPAK documented a broad portfolio of properties and considerable bank accounts in his name.
A portion of the properties is concentrated in the Petrelë area, in the village of Qeha Shytaj, where he is registered as the owner of several forest plots spanning tens of thousands of square meters, accompanied by substantial constructions. Some of these properties alone have an area of approximately 26,700 square meters and a building of 346 square meters, while other properties include constructions of 182, 350, 490, and 568 square meters. Some of these assets were legalized in June 2024, based on applications filed years earlier.
Agasi’s property portfolio was not limited to Petrelë. The file indicates properties and apartments in Tirana, Durrës, and Lundër, including a garage in the "Joy Residences" complex. On the coast, he is registered as the owner of a villa in the "Green Coast" complex in Palasë, purchased in March 2022 for approximately 251,000 euros. In 2025, Agasi also bought an apartment and garage in Tirana for a total of 235,000 euros.
The increase in wealth is also reflected in the expensive vehicles he used. SPAK documented a 2023 Land Rover Defender in his name, acquired in 2024 through an exchange with a Range Rover previously owned by Agasi. Beyond properties and vehicles, the investigation also identified several bank accounts with substantial sums in ALL and EUR. One account at Credins Bank had a balance of around 55.6 million ALL, while another at BKT held an equivalent value of about 90.3 million ALL.
The prosecution claims he profited around 10 million euros from the alleged corrupt scheme linked to AKSHI. During the inspection of a villa linked to Agasi in the "Equos" resort in Lundër, investigators found caches of "Romanée-Conti" wine and expensive champagne, with a value that, according to SPAK, approached 1 million euros.
Eight Months on the Run: A Fugitive Within Reach
After evading arrest in December 2025, Ergys Agasi remained on the run for approximately eight months. However, according to police sources and investigation materials reported by BIRN, he did not retreat to a distant location or leave the country. His main base was suspected to be a building in Shkozet, Durrës, part of a villa complex considered by the police to be a base for Elvis Doçi’s group, alias "Visi i Pojës."
On August 26th, Agasi was under surveillance for about 11 hours, moving from Shkozet towards Elbasan and then back to Durrës. Drone surveillance was interrupted for nearly five hours near the agro-food market in Elbasan. In the evening, he was located again and arrested in Plepa.
At the wheel of the car was Uljan Shpataraku, a former State Police official and former deputy director of the Elbasan Police. He was arrested red-handed for "aiding a perpetrator of crime." During his fugitive period, Agasi is suspected to have moved between Durrës, Tirana, and Elbasan, continuing to meet and communicate with individuals linked to organized crime and state officials. Subsequent investigations revealed he did not live like an isolated fugitive but moved within a relatively limited territory and in areas where the police had strong operational structures.
Information about his whereabouts had circulated within the police even before his arrest. However, the decisive intervention only came after changes in the leadership of the State Police and the departure of Ilir Proda as director in the summer of 2026.
In court, Uljan Shpataraku claimed he did not know Ergys Agasi and did not know he was a wanted person. According to his version, he was returning from Elbasan when he gave a ride to a man who introduced himself as "Berti" and said he worked with aluminum.
From Police to SHISH: The Intelligence Service in the Spotlight
Agasi’s arrest did not end the investigation into his eight months on the run. On the contrary, his phone, communications, and seized materials after his capture opened another line of investigation into those who had assisted him during his fugitive period and what information he had obtained while wanted by the justice system. This line led SPAK to the director of the State Intelligence Service.
On September 21, 2026, the Special Court ordered the security measure of "arrest in prison" and suspension from duty for the Director of SHISH, Vlora Hyseni, within the framework of a new criminal proceeding that had begun with the investigation of AKSHI tenders. She was investigated for "aiding a perpetrator of crime" and "disclosure of state secrets or service information."
At the center of the suspicions are the communications between Hyseni and Agasi during the period when the latter was wanted. File materials reported in the media speak of hundreds of phone calls, messages, and communications via the Signal application until a few days before his arrest. In some of them, Hyseni is suspected of providing Agasi with information about her meetings and official activities, while SPAK is investigating whether he also obtained data related to the actions of police structures and his own situation as a wanted person.
Hyseni offered a different explanation for the contacts. According to reports on her testimony to SPAK, she admitted continuous communication with Agasi but claimed he was a collaborator of SHISH. In court, she denied having provided him with classified state materials. Another element of the investigation consists of materials found after Agasi’s arrest. According to reports referencing the file, investigators seized ninety pages from his vehicle containing information suspected to be produced by SHISH. Hyseni was questioned about their origin, while denying she had given them to Agasi.
The nature, classification, and manner in which these materials ended up in his possession remain matters of investigation and have not yet been definitively proven in court. The Special Court has imposed a security measure prohibiting the publication of the investigative file acts against Vlora Hyseni. However, significant questions remain unanswered regarding the meteoric rise of Ergys Agasi – from environmental inspector to a businessman with vast wealth and, according to SPAK, the suspected leader of a structured criminal group. The publicly available data thus far suggests his influence had permeated the highest levels of politics and security institutions, another testament to the fragility of the Albanian state in the face of corruption and organized crime infiltration.
