Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have seized the mobile phone of Ermal Gjinaj, the husband of Socialist politician and former minister Ogerta Manastirliu, as part of a reported investigation linked to a major surgical sterilization concession.

According to local media reports, the seizure was ordered by prosecutor Dorina Bejko and approved by the Special Court. No official statement has yet been issued by the prosecution regarding the measure.

The investigation reportedly concerns a business contract between Gjinaj and the company awarded the concession for the sterilization of surgical equipment.

Manastirliu previously appeared before Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK) as a person with knowledge of the case. She reportedly testified that, while heading Tirana’s Mother Teresa University Hospital Center in 2014, she sought funding to operate existing sterilization facilities before the government moved forward with a private concession.

According to her testimony, the concession was announced in February 2015, with Sani Servizi Italia subsequently named as the winning bidder.

The reported phone seizure marks a new development in the investigation. The full scope of the inquiry and any potential implications for those involved have not been officially clarified.