The Parliament appears to have incurred a cost of more than €707,000 for MPs in July alone, including monthly salaries and a package of reimbursements covering daily allowances, fuel, phone bills and rent. The data once again raise questions about the standard of oversight over public money, especially when benefits also extend to lawmakers who have declared considerable assets.
Monthly salaries plus 23 million lek in reimbursements
Gross salaries for MPs are reported at more than 42 million lek per month, averaging around 300,000 lek for each of them. Alongside this fixed bill, July also included reimbursements worth 23 million lek.
In total, the monthly cost for MPs exceeds 65 million lek, or more than €707,000. The overall figure focuses attention not only on salaries, but also on the broad scheme of additional benefits weighing on the public budget.
Daily allowances lead, fuel remains the second-highest expense item
The largest expense item for July was daily allowances for travel within the country, with more than €156,000 spent. Topping this list is Parliament Speaker Niko Peleshi, with around €2,000 reimbursed, followed by PD parliamentary group leader Gazment Bardhi, with around €1,900.
After daily allowances comes fuel, with nearly €50,000 paid during the month. For most MPs, fuel reimbursement stands at 40,000 lek. Added to this package are phone expenses, which generally amount to around €200, as well as fees for participation in parliamentary committees, up to 24,000 lek.
Rent reimbursed even for MPs with substantial assets
Among the benefits drawing the most attention are housing rent reimbursements. The most debated case is that of MP Ana Dajko, who, despite declaring assets of more than €1 million and ownership of several apartments, appears to have received rent reimbursement for July worth 140,000 old lek.
This type of benefit raises questions about the actual verification criteria and the way funds are administered to cover MPs’ costs. The data suggest that the scheme does not always distinguish between genuine need and the formal right to benefit.
More benefits for new MPs, less for experienced names
Among the biggest beneficiaries for July are Zamira Sinaj of Vlora, Elton Korreshi of Fier and Antoneta Dhima, who received reimbursements of around 260,000 lek. They are followed by Erjo Mile and Bledi Çomo, while Ledina Alolli appears with around 255,000 lek and Zegjine Çaushi with around 253,000 lek.
On the other hand, according to these data, experienced MPs received fewer monthly add-ons. Among them are Lindita Nikolla, Sali Berisha with around €500 in additional payments, as well as Agron Shehaj and Elisa Spiropali. Also on the list with the lowest amounts are Ogerta Manastirliu, Belinda Balluku, as well as several new MPs such as Loer Kume, Tedi Mulaj and Marjana Koçeku.
July’s figures show that the bill for MPs does not end with the monthly salary. Most of the additional cost comes from a reimbursement system that, at least based on the published data, leaves room for serious debate over proportionality, transparency and oversight filters.
When public funds are used for daily allowances, fuel, phones and rent even in cases that seem difficult to justify morally, the issue is not only what the rules allow, but how much this model can withstand public scrutiny.