Alkuafi was instructed to take the Queen Majeda to the port in Durres, where a line of police vehicles awaited. The ship’s detention raised more questions about the alleged fuel smuggling than it answered: Who was behind it? Not far from where the Queen Majeda was docked is a two-story building with an Italian flag at the entrance. And he has repeatedly criticized the central bank and the state oil company for their lack of transparency — allegations the bank and the oil company have publicly refuted. And the country has done so even though the economy contracted by 1.2% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
