About 1.6 million liters of diesel imported by the company “Sallillari” have sparked a serious dispute within the customs administration, leading to allegations of smuggling, bribery and intervention by senior officials at the General Directorate of Customs.
At the center of the dispute are a fine of 312 million lek and tax liabilities of 156 million lek—a total of about €5.1 million—calculated by Durrës Customs on the fuel imported by the company. According to Skyweb.al sources, the amount does not appear to have been paid.
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Sources say senior officials intervened during the handling of the case over how to proceed with the company’s liabilities and how to handle the file administratively.
The case concerns the import of 1,326,546 kilograms of diesel by “Sallillari,” equivalent to about 1.6 million liters, declared for use in the construction of NATO’s air base in Kuçovë.
The customs administration was still handling the case in February 2026. Documents relating to the procedure have become a source of conflict within the institution, with customs officers accusing leaders of the General Directorate of Customs of favoring the company. They allege a scheme similar to the fine imposed on Bankers Petroleum, which was kept in a drawer and brought out whenever the media published an exposé.
The same thing appears to have happened with Salillari.
According to Skyweb.al sources, the diesel was initially allowed into the country without payment of the duties later assessed. After the case appeared in the media, the customs administration began procedures to calculate those duties so that the “paperwork” would be in order.
After reviewing the documents, Durrës Customs calculated tax liabilities of 156,010,328 lek.
That amount includes 60.46 million lek in excise duty, 42.71 million lek in circulation tax, 4.75 million lek in carbon tax and 48.09 million lek in VAT.
In addition to the tax liabilities, a fine of 312,020,656 lek was calculated, bringing the total bill to 468,030,984 lek, or about €5.1 million.
However, this amount does not appear to have been collected, while the procedure has been accompanied by intervention and allegations within the customs administration.
Skyweb.al has obtained the documents calculating the liabilities. Leaders of the General Directorate of Customs must explain what happened to the €5.1 million bill.
Why has this amount not been paid? Who intervened from within the leadership, and has any decision been made to cancel or waive the company’s liabilities?
These questions require answers from Customs leaders, including an explanation of the allegations raised within the institution about favoritism and interference in the procedure.
Read also: Diesel imported tax-free for NATO’s base in Kuçovë: “Salillari” fined €5.1 million
But the case takes on another dimension because of its connection to the NATO air base project in Kuçovë.
Customs authorities must clarify whether all of the roughly 1.6 million liters of diesel were actually used for work on the air base, as declared at the time of import.
Verifying the diesel’s final destination is essential to understanding how this case was handled, given the millions of euros in duties and fines calculated.
Meanwhile, the allegations of intervention from above, favoritism and bribery that, according to sources, have circulated within the customs administration concerning the “bosses” raise further questions about the responsibilities of the officials who handled the procedure. /skyweb.al
