Ermal Beqiri

Ermal Beqiri (born in 1982, Gjirokastër, Albania) In 2025, he was one of the individuals accused by SPAK in the AKSHI public procurement scandal. He is currently a fugitive.

Beqiri started his career in France, where he served as a project manager and as an external lecturer at IUT GEII.

Early public exposure Beqiri gained national attention in 2011 as one of three court-appointed IT experts—along with Ardian Pollo and Artur Rrahmani—tasked with examining the Meta–Prifti video, a covert recording that allegedly showed former deputy prime minister Ilir Meta discussing corrupt deals with then economy minister Dritan Prifti. Their report concluded that the recording was not original, a finding that supported the defense of Ilir Meta against corruption allegations.

Business activities Beqiri founded and led several tech companies, and is the owner of Soft & Solution, a major IT company in Albania that had received over 18 million euros in direct payments from the state treasury for tenders at AKSHI from 2020 to 2024.

In 2024, Beqiri acquired 100% of Horizon SHPK (a Cypriot-owned company previously held by Comscope Limited) for €380,000. He also acquired another IT company called iTirana for €145,000. These acquisitions strengthened Beqiri’s position as a key player in Albania’s IT sector, consolidating multiple companies under his group.

AKSHI public procurement scandal

Beqiri, one of the largest beneficiaries of IT public tenders from AKSHI, and is accused of corruption, bid rigging, price inflation, and participation in a structured criminal group,

Ermal Beqiri remains a fugitive, after the Special Appeals Court upheld the "arrest in prison" measure against him.

Asset seizure In April 2026, SPAK ordered the preventive seizure of assets worth approximately 40 million euros liked to Beqiri and his collaborators, among which ten real estate assets belonging to Ermal Beqiri, including a luxury yacht (named "Skyfall"), corporate accounts, several vehicles, and personal bank accounts.

Revocation of license for e-money In April 2026, following the arrest warrant against Ermal Beqiri by SPAK on charges of participation in a structured criminal group, the central Bank of Albania revoked the license of his electronic money institution, Soft & Solution, which operated under the brand ALPAY. According to Article 7 of the Bank of Albania's regulation on the licensing of payment and electronic money institutions, a license may be refused or revoked if a founder is under criminal prosecution for a criminal offense with high social risk.