Extradition opposed, asylum request pending
Beqiri appeared before the court on Friday, October 23, 2026, three days after it reviewed his release request. He is being held in Beauvais prison while French authorities consider Albania's request to hand him over.
He is also seeking asylum in France. Le Courrier Picard reported, in an account relayed by CNA on October 21, that he had submitted an application but had not yet received a response.
The October 23 hearing addressed the merits of extradition, including additional documents Albania supplied after the French court requested them in August. The material concerned legal guarantees and included correspondence from Albania's justice minister, the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption (SPAK) and the General Directorate of Prisons.
His lawyer, Nicolas Paganelli, disputed the credibility of those assurances. "They are drafts; this is not serious work. You are not an after-sales assistance service for incomplete diplomatic guarantees," he told the court.
Beqiri, who opposes extradition, described the prosecution as political and voiced distrust of Albania's justice system. "If I have corrupted anyone, it is the state. But on this side, no one is in prison. In any case, there is a problem here. This case is purely political," he said.
The Amiens Public Prosecutor's Office supports extradition. The prosecutor argued that the investigating chamber was not responsible for judging Albania's judicial system: "You are being asked to take a position on the Albanian judicial system, but that is not the task of the investigating chamber." Earlier, she had characterized the case by saying: "A major organized purge is taking place in Albania."
Charges linked to AKSHI tenders
SPAK suspects Beqiri of involvement in abuses concerning AKSHI tenders. According to CNA's October 21 report, the investigation covers 19 tender procedures with an estimated value of 59 million euros. Former AKSHI director Mirlinda Karçanaj and businessman Ergys Agasi are also named in the case.
The charges against Beqiri include illegal competition through violence, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and violation of the equality of participants in tenders or public auctions, committed in the special form of cooperation as part of a structured criminal group.
SPAK has also charged him with a structured criminal group offense; commission of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group; laundering the proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity; and active corruption of persons exercising public functions.
Wikipedia's profile of Beqiri states that his IT company, Soft & Solution, received more than 18 million euros from Albania's state treasury in direct payments for AKSHI tenders during 2020-2024.
The same profile says the Bank of Albania revoked the license of his electronic money institution, Soft & Solution, which operated as ALPAY, in April 2026. The revocation followed SPAK's arrest warrant accusing him of participation in a structured criminal group.
Flight over nuclear plant led to arrest
Beqiri's arrest in France followed a low-altitude flight in his private aircraft over the Penly nuclear power plant, located between Dieppe and Le Tréport. On July 27, he told French authorities that he had misjudged the altitude and was speaking with his mother by phone as he passed over the plant.
He received a 7,000-euro fine through a guilty plea procedure. Although he had been expected to leave custody once that process ended, Albania's extradition request kept him in Beauvais prison.
Property and accounts seized
French authorities have seized a 16th-century château about an hour from Paris, along with bank accounts holding more than 2.1 million euros. The seizures also cover two apartments in southern France, several vehicles, a yacht and a light aircraft.
Beqiri lives at the Château d'Auteuil in Berneuil-en-Bray, in the Oise department, according to the French newspaper cited in the report. Le Courrier Picard, as relayed by CNA, cited Albanian press reports that put the property's 2024 purchase price at around 2.6 million euros.
Separately, Wikipedia's profile says SPAK ordered the preventive seizure of approximately 40 million euros in assets linked to Beqiri and his collaborators in April 2026. Those assets included ten real estate holdings belonging to Beqiri, the luxury yacht "Skyfall", corporate accounts, several vehicles and personal bank accounts.
