TIRANA, Dec 1 /ATA/ – Main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Jorida Tabaku said on Monday that thousands of families affected by the 2019 deadly earthquake remain without completed homes, accusing the government of turning the reconstruction programme into “a gold mine” while failing to deliver on its promises.
In a statement on social media, the opposition MP said what should have been a joint national recovery effort “became an opportunity for abuse” by the Socialist government.
She said that despite international donors mobilising with grants and soft loans, and despite government pledges for swift reconstruction, the results remain “shocking”: inflated costs above 1.3 billion euros and many families still waiting for permanent housing.
Tabaku accused the government of violating basic public-finance rules by launching tenders without securing budget funds, concealing real costs and allowing them “to rise artificially day after day.”
She cited the example of a school built with EU funds costing about 600,000 euros, compared with 2.2 euros million for a similar school financed from the state budget, according to Tirana’s municipality.
“Years pass, costs rise, and thousands remain without homes, while reconstruction continues to be used as an electoral refrain of failure,” she added.
Tabaku also criticised the government’s preference for expensive eurobonds over more transparent and economical EU funds, which she said limit opportunities for misuse and do not carry long-term interest burdens for taxpayers.
“The 2019 earthquake became an opportunity to enrich a small group in power, while the majority of citizens are left to pay the bill,” she said.
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