The article written by “Faktoje” journalist Merxhan Daci on the invoices of the Ministry of Justice has received the second-place award for investigative journalism by the European Union for 2019.
The first-place award went to the journalist Klodiana Lala, whereas the third-place award went to the journalist Andi Malasi.
In August 2019, “Faktoje” published the article on the invoices demonstrating that the Ministry of Justice had made considerable expenditures for accommodation and flights abroad.
Following the said article, “Faktoje” published data on the expenditures of two other ministries, while most of the ministries either failed to reply on the matter, or omitted the exemplifying documentation from their replies. The refusal of these institutions to make available the invoices of the expenditures of their heads and officials regarding travels abroad became even more persistent after the publication of the article of 23 August 2019.
Considering that more than a year has passed since the publication of the article, which garnered numerous reactions from the public opinion, and due to the institutions’ failure to observe the right to information, “Faktoje” decided to take the case to court.
Represented by the Res Publica Center, “Faktoje” took the ministries, the Albanian Parliament and Presidency to court, thus 11 institutions that refused to reply. The judicial process is still underway and is being pursued by “Faktoje”, aiming to ensure that its right to receive the requested documentation will be restored.
“Faktoje” is the first fact-checking organization in Albania, a member of the IFCN, working to ensure accountability and transparency. The mission of “Faktoje” concerns the verification of promises and statements, as well as how high-ranking officials spend public funds, which also constituted the subject -matter of the article on invoices.
