How the 42 thousand Albanians who deposited money at “Anglo-Adriatika” fared
EDITORIAL
Page 7 Hypocrisy By Petrit ÇOBANI In order to understand, as expected, the conclusion reached by the Commission of Inquiry regarding the government's stance on how Eduard Kallaku responded to his suspected position, it was both relevant and irrelevant and full of circumstances. First of all, one must take into account the observations, accusations and continuous investigations of the international community itself regarding the undeniable connection between the head of the company “Anglo-Adriatika” and the fraudulent movements and practices of Xhaferri and Populli. In a previous instance, it is proven that everything has been clarified and handed over to the police regarding the implication of Eduard Kallaku. Statements of this kind, which we all know very well, become troubling not only because of their first purpose, but even more because of the second. Since this concerns the implication of an individual, and not the whole system, as was hinted, in this case we are dealing with a man who has emerged completely alone on the scene and is trying to close this scandal to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of citizens, who still hope they will recover at least part of their lost savings. The government's accusation is, as published, that after this assessment it is forced to recognize not only an unforgivable responsibility, but also a political guilt, which will weigh on its name for many years. We do not make such an assessment. We think differently and in this paragraph we will try to illustrate it. The point is that during 1991 Eduard Kallaku, through a company he owned, opened an investment firm in Italy that collected citizens' savings by promising incredible profits. At its peak, it reached 1.1 billion lire, without him being able to return it. Kallaku was arrested and imprisoned. A document issued by the Italian prosecutor's office confirms that he benefited in his own name, in the name of his brother-in-law and his son, for the aforementioned amount. Meanwhile, in Albania the press wrote that Kallaku was in close contact with the government of the time. In fact, it was impossible to make such investments in 48 different firms, as he is trying to appear to have done, alone with a profit-seeker, Russian like Edi Kallaku. 40% is an extraordinary figure, which only applies to medium-term loans that are used by “pyramid” companies in all countries of the world. The most debated assessment is the one forced concerning the so-called “commissions” that he gave to various officials. It was literally said that these commissions were enough to buy their silence and gain ground among the wider public. This is a serious matter. Since for four years his activity was allowed to continue unhindered, without being investigated and without being stopped, then the suspicion arises that Kallaku had support from high levels. If this is true, the responsibility is political. In the end, we are dealing with a financial sector that is completely uncontrolled and without guarantees for citizens. This truth today emerges from the investigation and from the fact that the scandal took on such dimensions. Trans. has been ordered to suspend its activities because of suspicions of fraud. The legal aspect that has finally been presented becomes very clear. Some of the writings of several ministers are expected to have different appearances in the staff of the bankers for the entry into the staff of the bankers ... [?]