Citizens E.T., A.D., and E.T. have been apprehended at the request of Berat Prosecution Office on charges of “Abuse of Office”, “Breach of rules on poisonous substances”, “Producing, selling, and storing food and other substances dangerous to the health and human life, and “Fraud with food products”, as stipulated in Articles 281, 288, and 288/c of the Criminal Code.

The investigations regarding criminal case No. 768, on a complaint from the General Directorate of National Food Authority in Tirana, revealed that 21,593 kg of clementine mandarins—rejected in Croatia due to suspected phosmet pesticide contamination—had been sourced from farmers in the Berat and Saranda regions.

Laboratory analysis confirmed that this batch of mandarins contained phosmet pesticide residues exceeding the legal limit (0.075 mg/kg, while the permitted level is ? 0.01 mg/kg). Notably, phosmet has been banned since 2022 and is no longer authorized to be used. Consumption of fruit with excessive phosmet residues can pose health risks, particularly with repeated exposure, as the chemical is highly toxic.

The investigations unveiled that the procedure for returning the unsafe product was carried out without the knowledge of the National Food Authority (NFA). Farmer E.T. claimed he disposed of the returned product from the food business operator at an unidentified location. He asserted that he had discarded the goods at the Dimal Municipality landfill; however, inspections found no evidence of the product residual. Additionally, in his statement to the AKU, as documented in the official report, he mentioned disposing of the goods in random drainage channels.

 Meanwhile, E.T., an inspector at Berat Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Food Safety (BRDAFS), stated that he has held this position for five years, with the responsibility for monitoring crops and issuing phytosanitary certificates. He stated that have visited the farmer after the task force was established and collected samples directly from the trees. However, operating as the certifying officer for export goods, he acknowledged that he had sent blank certificates to the business entity, which then completed and returned them with accompanying photos. He subsequently registered these documents in the BRDAFS database.
Investigations are ongoing in cooperation with the National Food Authority (NFA) in Tirana to clarify the responsibilities of employees from both GDNFU and RDAFS Berat.