Document/ Agim Ismaili "flooded" prisons with expired medicines

2026-01-20 13:21:00, Denoncim CNA

A major scandal involving Agim Ismaili has come to light. The scandal dates back to the time when he was head of the prison institution, that is, director of the General Directorate of Prisons.

Agim Ismail's deeds, which are actually written in black and white in a detailed report by the Supreme State Audit Office, show major violations and economic damage, above all, a risk to the lives of prisoners by introducing expired medications into prisons.

The KLSH report highlights in dozens of pages and documents that during the management of the prison institution by Agim Ismaili, the institutions serving sentences were flooded with expired medicines. Not just one institution serving sentences, but almost all the prisons, Tirana, Berat, Tepelena, etc.

What happened?

At the time when Agim Ismaili was running the Prisons, the KLSH report states that from reviewing the list of expired medications in all prisons, it is found that in almost all prisons, medications have expired in the amount that was entered, never being used, which shows that the purchases of these medications are not based on planning that stems from concrete needs.

Furthermore, this report also reveals the scandal of expired medicines being purchased.

"From the review of expired medications in 22 prisons and the Prison Hospital Center (PHC) during 2020, it was found that the value of expired medications is 1,863,910 lek. If we look at the date of entry of these medications into the prisons, it turns out that almost all of them entered in 2019. This results in 10% of the value of the supply of medications from the 2019 contract, having expired in that same year. This comes firstly from the receipt of medications in violation of the terms of the contract regarding the expiration date, where the technical specifications of the contract stipulate that 'medications must have an expiration date of no less than 1.5 years from the moment of receipt in the DPB warehouse' and secondly from a planning process not based on concrete needs. From the review of the list of expired medications in all prisons, it is found that in almost all "The prisons have expired medications in the amount that was entered, never being used, which shows that the purchases of these medications are not based on planning that stems from concrete needs ," the SAI report states.

The introduction of expired medications did not only occur in one prison in the country, but in all of them. Also, the medications were never used, so their purchase was planned without being based on the specific needs of the prisoners.

"From the review of the list of expired medications in all prisons, it is found that in almost all prisons, medications have expired in the amount that was entered, never being used, which shows that the purchases of these medications are not based on plans that stem from concrete needs. Specifically, it resulted that: - In Berat Prison, all three expired medications during 2020 have expired in the same amount that was entered during 2018 and 2019. - In Mine Peza Prison, out of 25 expired medications, 7 of them have expired in the amount that was requested. - In Tepelena Prison, out of 18 expired medications, 7 of them have expired in the amount that was requested. In addition, it is found that the rest of the expired medications (77 medications in the Prison Hospital Center and 181 medications in the Penitentiary) was used in small quantities if we compare the quantity received and the quantity expired. - It is noted that during 2019, some medications were repurchased which, although unused and consequently expired during the same year, the order for them has increased. Specifically, the medication Buscolamin in ampoules, in 2018 resulted in the purchase of 6,400 pieces and of these, 3,620 pieces expired in 2019, or about 57% of the purchased quantity. It is noted that in 2019, this medication was purchased in a quantity of 7,000 pieces, i.e. more than a year ago, although more than half of the purchased quantity expired, questioning the real needs for this item. Likewise, out of the quantity of 7,000 pieces purchased in 2019, 1,770 pieces expired in 2020. This indicates a lack of proper planning according to the needs for medications in 2019 and the use of funds without efficiency and effectiveness, contrary to the requirements of Law No. 10 296, dated 8.7.2010 'On Financial Management and Control' ," the report states.

Meanwhile, this scandalous practice has not happened just once, but repeatedly. Audits by the Albanian Supreme Audit Institution (ALSH) have shown that expired medicines have been purchased again and in larger quantities.

"It is noted that during 2019, several medications were repurchased, which, although unused and consequently expired during the same year, the order for them has increased. Specifically, the medication Buscolamin in ampoules, in 2018 resulted in the purchase of 6,400 pieces and of these, 3,620 pieces expired in 2019, or about 57% of the purchased quantity. It is noted that in 2019, this medication was purchased in the quantity of 7,000 pieces, more than a year ago, although more than half of the purchased quantity expired, questioning the real needs for this item. Also, out of the quantity of 7,000 pieces purchased in 2019, 1,770 pieces expired in 2020. This indicates improper planning according to the needs for medications in 2019 and the use of funds without efficiency and effectiveness in contradiction with the requirements of Law No. 10 296, dated 8.7.2010 'On financial management and control'. -Furthermore, we also found that the prisons do not report to the health sector in the DPB every month regarding monthly consumption, status and expiration dates, thus not implementing the order of the Director General. The above shows that the prisons do not plan according to real needs for medications, constantly exposing the institution to the risk of misuse of public funds. For the above, we conclude that the value of 1,863,910 lek, of expired medications is economic damage" , it is further mentioned in the SAI report.

All these facts highlighted in the hundreds-page report of the Supreme State Audit constitute a serious abuse and violation, regarding the way in which expired medications have been introduced into all prison institutions in Albania, seriously endangering the lives of prisoners on the one hand and revealing another dark side, that of purchasing expired or near-expiry medications. /CNA