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The game continues/ The company that will receive the $140 million from Smart City is created
2026-01-11 13:22:16 / POLITIKË
The Arab company Presight AI Ltd established a branch in Albania, which will implement the controversial Smart City project.
Presight Al Ltd Albania Branch was registered at the National Business Center three weeks ago with the sole objective of realizing the huge contract, which burdens Albanian citizens with a $140 million burden.
“The scope of the Branch's activity will include all activities necessary for the implementation of the smart city project in the Republic of Albania, including, but not limited to: the supply of hardware and software equipment and programs, installation and implementation services, and support and maintenance services,” the company's extract states.
The Smart City project has a cost of 140 million dollars and foresees the establishment of a monitoring system through the installation of about 5 thousand cameras in the largest cities of the country. In parallel, part of the contract is the supply of 3 thousand body cameras for state police officers.
In March last year, the Albanian government sent to Parliament for approval the draft law for the ratification of a loan of 118 million dollars, which Albania will receive from the Abu Dhabi Fund. The debt has a repayment period of 15 years and an interest rate of 4 percent per year. But the money will fly back to Abu Dhabi because it will be used to pay the company Presight for the Smart City contract.
After Parliament approved the loan agreement, the signing of the contract without a tender for the implementation of Smart City was left to the Ministry of Interior. The government created a special working group with two co-chairs to negotiate the contract. One of them was Deputy Minister Julian Hodaj, while the other co-chair was the head of IT at the state police.
But they were reluctant to sign the hot potato without a tender and at a staggering cost. In November, Edi Rama appeared in the streets of Rome, furious, yelling at Hodaj on the phone about why he was delaying the conclusion of the contract.
Immediately after the prime minister's return to Albania, Hodaj was fired from his post as deputy minister and replaced by Xhemal Qefalia. Qefalia's appointment seemed to unblock the impasse, as on December 19, he and Ilir Proda signed the contract with the company Presight.
"He took it, removed the deputy minister, raped him, because that's how he uses them and he does them well. They appointed Xhemal Qefalian who signed it immediately. Because Albana didn't accept it. Because of course he's going to jail tomorrow for this," Arben Ahmetaj declared in an interview a few days ago with journalist Cim Peka on Syri TV.
$140 million for what?
But what is a Smart City? The project involves the provision and installation of artificial intelligence platforms for city and traffic management, in addition to an advanced control center.
The company will install 2,239 ANPR cameras, which perform automatic license plate recognition, as well as 2,602 PTZ cameras for traffic monitoring and identifying violations. In parallel, 3,816 body cameras will be installed for the police, as Sajmir Tahiri had previously installed, which will be connected to a centralized system for surveillance and rapid response.
"To improve road and highway safety, 100 smart radars and 100 noise sensors will be installed to monitor traffic speed and safety. This project will enable real-time monitoring and identification of vehicles circulating on road axes, considered of priority interest to the State Police, as well as at all border control points," the loan law states.
In parallel, the company will also offer professional and maintenance services for four years.
But how will the $140 million spent on this project be spent in detail? In the debt agreement, the government has also listed the cost components. A full $31 million will be paid for software licenses to be used. Hardware and infrastructure will cost $62.4 million.
Eight million dollars will go towards professional services and the remaining $17.1 million is maintenance for four years. This is all excluding VAT. If value added tax is added, the total cost comes to $140 million.
Smart City cost components
This is a project with extraordinary cost inflation. Eight million dollars for professional services alone and $62.5 million to purchase 8,000 ANPR and PTZ cameras. The latter are easily available on the market at prices ranging from $500 to $1,500 apiece.
But whenever there is no competition, inflated costs are to be expected. And the scheme is always the same. The Sultan gives the order, while the Xhemalkamikazes below sign. / Kapitali.al
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