A new audio recording published on Thursday shows controversial Israeli businessman Roni Yeffet - a long time friend of Prime Minister Edi Rama - discussing the purchase and sale of weapons from Sudan through Albania. He even proposes opening a production line there.
The new recording makes clearer the scheme Yeffet is proposing for the arms business. He is looking for people to handle financing and management on the ground, offers contacts, and openly says that work in Sudan has already started.
In the conversation with a woman named Tatiana and two Ukrainian businessmen, Yeffet says.
“we can, we can buy them and sell them, but at the same time I think it would be very smart to open a factory there," and adds that he “needs someone to run the businesses in Sudan."
Tatiana, the woman who speaks for Ukrainian businessmen shows doubts about the way they would handle retail sales in Sudan, since they have never worked in Africa and “packaging the weapons is difficult.”
Yeffet replies that that’s why he needs their help.
When Tatiana mentions the need for a permit for the arms business, he reassures her tof his connections in Sudan and invites them to visit Sudan.
“Travel with me there… I just came back from there. Arjeta [Puca] and other people are working with me there. I will give you all the relationships, connections and everything, and you will take over the business from that moment. I don’t have time myself."
In earlier recordings, Yeffet had already spoken about producing ammunition in Africa, mentioning Nigeria and Sudan.
He had proposed packaging the weapons in Albania and then selling them further to countries involved in armed conflicts, describing it as a high-profit business.
Ron Yeffet is a shareholder, together with Arjeta Puca (mentioned in the recording), in Timak Defence and Advanced Arms Technology. Both companies were created in partnership with the Albanian government through the state-owned company KAYO.
The state holds 20 per cent of the shares, while private partners hold the rest. This structure makes the activity questionable because it places it outside normal financial control by any state institutions and outside public accountability.
Sudan is under European Union and United States sanctions on the arms trade.
SPAK (Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Structure) has started verification procedures and on Friday raided Yeffet's house on the suburb area outside of Tirana, the house and offices of Arjeta Puca, his business partner, and seized the phone of KAYO director Ardi Veliu.
Officials from KAYO and the Ministry of Defense have not commented on Ron Yeffet’s audio recordings, but they have denied any involvement of the state in illegal activity.
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