The Member of Parliament as representatives elected by people’s vote, are obliged to declare their wealth to the High Inspectorate for Declaration of Assets and Control of Conflict of Interest, and authorize the control thereof. Such declarations are not published online, but may be made accessible to the public only upon requests made based on the Right to Information. The online publications on the Spending Data Albania portal maintain confidentiality over sensitive data, or information declared under the confidential section of the declaration.
The best paid MP for 2015 turns out to be Mr. Anastas Angjeli, whose incomes from the Assembly account for two point six million lekë, while incomes as a lecturer in non-public universities account for two point nine million lekë.
One hundred and four MPs declared that their incomes consist of their salary and bonuses as MPs only. The rest declared that they also have additional incomes (salaries and bonuses) as members of the Council of Ministers or as remuneration for working for different universities.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Eleven MPs declare that they have benefitted bonuses in 2015. The highest amount of such benefits was declared by Alban Zeneli, who benefitted three point two million lekë by a decision of the Council of Ministers as reimbursement of medical costs.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Anastas Angjeli and Edlira Cekrezi are the only MPs, who declare incomes as Councilors or Members of Boards for 2015.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Interest rates from bank deposits, securities, and bonds seem to be another source of income. It is thirty three MPs declaring to have benefitted from such sources in 2015. The highest amount (2 437 986 lekë) is declared to have been benefitted in this way by MP Ben Blushi, followed by Ms Liljana Elmazi and Mr Ruli.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Forty MPs benefit from lease agreements. The highest amount from this source (twenty five point seven million lekë) is declared by MP Astrit Veliaj, followed by Piro Kapurani, who has also benefitted a significant amount (thirteen point three million lekë). Incomes of the other fifteen MPs from rent exceed those from salaries as MPs.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
The category of incomes from business and entrepreneurship is led by MP Tom Doshi with one hundred and eleven million lekë from his business activities. Eduard Selami declares he benefits fifty six thousand American dollars from a business in the US, while Dashamir Peza declares having benefitted two point four million lekë for 2015. Other MPs also have incomes from entrepreneurship, businesses, and dividends, but they declare them as incomes of their family members.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Publications and Copyright constitute another source of income. Edi Rama is on the top of the list with two million and six hundred and ninety four thousand and nine lekë from his artistic works sold in 2015. Such amount was benefitted from sales of his book ‘Kurban’ (‘The Scapegoat’) in 2015, and other works of art. The Prime Minister, who is also a Member of Parliament, has specified that this amount is the net one, i.e. after deduction of the tax on personal incomes. Ben Blushi ranks second with two million lekë of incomes from this category. One year ago, i.e. in 2014, the sales of his books through the European University of Tirana and the Foundation for Economic Freedom secured him five million million lekë.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
The category of incomes of respective family members, usually spouses or partners, is led by MP Anastas Angjeli with his wife, Greta Angjeli, having made one hundred and twenty five thousand and five hundred and seventy four USD for working for the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund (AAEF). Angjeli family leads this category followed by Berisha, Ruci, and Dokle families.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
As for the category of incomes from salaries of spouses or partners, the list is led by Ms Angjeli and followed by the husband of MP Olta Xhacka, Mr. Artan Gaçi, who is also an MP, Mr. Florion Mima, and Ms. Mimoza Hafizi. The Prime Minister ranks sixteenth, left behind by other members of his parliamentary group like Klodiana Spahiu or Taulant Balla.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Obligations paid by third parties represent another source of incomes for the MPs. They usually include incomes from selling properties, or from other contracting obligations. MP Omer Mamo of the Party for Justice, Integrity, and Unity leads this category, which includes also the couple of MPs Meta and Kryemadhi, ranking eighth on the list, having declared in 2015 incomes from selling an apartment in 2014.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Seven MPs of the Socialist Party, including Dade, Ruci, Baraj, Shalsi, Xhafaj, and Brace, have benefitted incomes from a Court Decision, following their lawsuit against the Assembly for having been denied their salary while they were exercising their duty as Members of Parliament during the last legislature (before 2013). The same decision applied also to other Socialist MPs, who preferred to declare the respective benefits jointly with their salaries.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Finally, calculating the total incomes of each MP, including all the above-mentioned categories and the incomes of their family members, the list is led by Mr. Tom Doshi, and followed by Mr. Anastas Angjeli and Mr. Sali Berisha.
Source: Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal
Contributed: Open Procurement Albania
Incomes declared in foreign currency for 2015 are converted into Albanian lekë, using the average annual exchange rate of the Bank of Albania for 2015. Every category and ranking refers to changes made in 2015, and not to the total wealth declared by the MPs. The detailed data for each MP can be found under the Money and Power section of the Spending Data Albania portal. There, you may also find the annual declarations and the initial declarations of wealth by MPs and other high-level officials. The tables ranking all the MPs may also be downloaded in the Excel version.
According to the declarations of MPs for 2015, an MP makes an average of 8 million lekë per year or more than 650 000 lekë per month.