From Peleshi and Gjekmarkaj to Zeqineja: The MPs whose rent, phone bills, fuel… even diplomatic passports we pay for

Members of the Albanian Parliament receive a basic net salary of around €2,250 per month, a figure that increases significantly through a range of additional benefits: bonuses for participation in committees, €170 per month for phone expenses, €300–400 for fuel, as well as per diem allowances for travel inside and outside the country.

In total, a lawmaker’s monthly income easily exceeds €3,500. But even that is not enough.

Data obtained by VNA from the Albanian Parliament show that, despite having increased their salaries by their own vote in the previous legislature, MPs use every legal opportunity to benefit even more from public funds.

Rent paid with taxpayers’ money

Official documents show that 11 MPs, including the Speaker of Parliament, Niko Peleshi, benefited from rent payments from the state budget for the month of October.

The list is dominated by MPs from the Socialist Party, including Zeqine Çaushi, but it also includes two MPs from the Democratic Party, who likewise use public funds for their accommodation in Tirana.

Rent payments (October):

1. Antoneta Dhima (SP) – €350

2. Fadil Nasufi (SP) – €350

3. Agron Gjekmarkaj (DP) – €350

4. Hatixhe Konomi (SP) – €350

5. Bledi Çomo (SP) – €116

6. Erjo Mile (SP) – €350

7. Erjona Ismaili (SP) – €290

8. Genti Lakollari (SP) – €300

9. Ledina Alolli (DP) – €210

10. Ramion Kurti (SP) – €338

11. Zeqine Çaushi (SP) – €361

Diplomatic passports — not paid out of their own pockets

Meanwhile, 10 newly elected MPs have been issued diplomatic passports, and even here the cost was not covered by the beneficiaries themselves. The €75 fee for each passport was reimbursed by the Albanian Parliament.

Reimbursement of diplomatic passports (October):

1. Ani Dyrmishi

2. Arjan Ndoja

3. Enno Bozdo

4. Erjo Mile

5. Kiduina Zaka

6. Klevis Balliu

7. Marjana Koçeku

8. Skënder Pashaj

9. Zeqine Çaushi

10. Zija Ismailaj

How much did MPs cost us in just one month?

According to VNA data, for the month of October alone, excluding base salaries, MPs’ expenses amounted to:

• Fuel: €44,000

• Telephony: €19,000

• Travel allowances: €139,000

• Rent: €4,000

• Diplomatic passports: €750

In total, hundreds of thousands of euros are spent every month on privileges that go beyond salaries, in a country where the majority of citizens struggle to afford rent, fuel, and basic utility bills.

“KORÇA BOOM”