Banker Samsuri arrested for false testimony Vilson Ahmeti’s security measure changed after 8 months of house arrest EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — The Arsidi scandal has widened further. On Friday and Saturday, two more people ended up in prison. In Rikthimi Samsuri, Albania’s most senior banker, was taken to Tirana Prison, arrested on the charge of “false testimony” in connection with his testimony in the first-instance trial of Ahmeti, Saliu and Tartari. Just a few hours later, the Prosecutor’s Office signed another arrest warrant: this time, the security measure against former Prime Minister Vilson Ahmeti was changed, but the charge against him was not. The number of people jailed in connection with the Arsidi scandal has thus risen to five. A week earlier, Ardian Xhyheri, Director of the National Commercial Bank, had also been arrested. The charges against Perikli Samsuri — a banker for 47 years at the Bank of Albania — are connected with his testimony in the proceedings, overturned by the Court of Appeal, which sentenced Ahmeti, Saliu and Tartari to 15 years’ imprisonment. The matter concerns Samsuri’s informing former Governor Hoti about the accounting of the 1.6-million-dollar bill of exchange. Hoti acknowledged in this connection that he had been informed several months later, an explanation subsequently accepted by Samsuri as well. He now faces the charge of “false testimony.” Vilson Ahmeti, the short-lived Prime Minister of Albania’s governments, has also been sent to prison. He had been under house arrest since February this year; the Prosecutor’s Office has changed his security measure, while keeping the same charge.

TIRANA — Further changes in the field of Justice. Six investigators from the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office have been dismissed following the latest meeting of the High Council of Justice. Some time ago, 14 other employees had also been dismissed from the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office as part of the restructuring of this body. Immediately afterwards, 10 investigators were appointed as prosecutors, and would perform both duties at the same time. As of Monday, the latest dismissals had not yet been officially communicated, but most of those concerned confirmed their departure from this body. They include Dino Leli, Vladimir Bineri, Gafar Leka and Vladimir Hodo. Some of these investigators had not been working there for very long. Recently, however, there has also been a wave of requests to leave positions in the Prosecutor’s Office. Lawyers are increasingly opting for the new profession of attorney.

On the tenth day of the Italian championship revolution at the top of the standings Juve and Sampdoria in first place Sport On page 3: Albanian league matches On page 4: Italian league matches Ruud Gullit scores the winning goal as Paolo Maldini watches

A FUGITIVE MURDERER CAPTURED IN DURRËS — After more than two years of searching, the Berat district police have managed to recapture 26-year-old Adriatik Fadi Lala as the perpetrator of the murder of citizen Xhemil Brahimi. — After more than two years of searching, the Berat district police have managed to recapture 26-year-old Adriatik Fadil Lala, as the perpetrator of the murder of citizen Gëzim Ibrahim. At the time the crime was committed two years ago, the police had managed to arrest him, but the district justice authorities deemed him unaccountable and sent him to the Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital. This enabled Lala to escape, and only after two years was he finally captured. A MODERN DANCE COMPETITION IN PORGRADEC — A somewhat unusual event that attracted the interest of the citizens of Pogradec. It was a modern dance competition in which young men and women from the town’s secondary schools competed. The show was made even more appealing by the recitation of several works by the town’s youngest poets. The couple Darova — Vertopi was declared the winner of the event. A THEMATIC AFTERNOON IN KORÇË FOR THREE POETRY VOLUMES — In one of the rooms of the “Thimi Mitko” Library in the city of Korçë were the poets Irina Vreto, Vjollca Naci and Afroviti Gusha, who presented their three respective volumes, “Syte e Jetës”, “Brigje Malli” and “Vjeshtë e Egër”, published recently. The authors’ accounts of the days spent creating some of the poems highlighted the artistic merits of this work before the audience gathered for the occasion. A NEW EIGHT-YEAR SCHOOL IN KUKËS — The state invested 8 million lekë in construction work and 2 million lekë in the necessary teaching materials and equipment for an eight-year school recently completed in the town of Kukës. The school has 2 classrooms and specialist rooms, while its premises are heated by a central boiler.

After being brought to Otranto, they were repatriated

Galloni, the number one in justice, arrives in Tirana today

NORTHERN IRELAND, 7 KILLED IN A BAR BAR — Another bloody day in Northern Ireland, where on Saturday evening two people ha- — Another bloody day in Northern Ireland, where on Saturday evening two people forced their way into a bar and opened fire on the customers, killing seven people and wounding sixteen others. The incident took place in the village of Greysteel, near Londonderry, where most of the population is Catholic. Seven people have been detained by police and investigations are under way. FOUR DOLPHINS RESCUE THE CREW OF A FISHING BOAT — Incredible, but not at all surprising to scientists. The daily newspaper «The Sunday Telegraph» reports that four of these mammals rescued the frightened crew of a fishing boat in trouble in British coastal waters last week. The dolphins worked for several hours to free it from the rocks where it had become stranded because of the rough sea, and then pushed it to within a short distance of the shore, so that the incident could not happen again. LIBYA: EVEN GADDAFI’S LOYALISTS INVOLVED IN MILITARY PLOT — The military attempt in October to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi’s regime lasted three days, and senior officers from the Warfales, staunch supporters of the Libyan leader, also took part. This was reported by the Arabic daily «Al Hayat», published in London and also printed in Cairo; it was the first newspaper to report the military revolt in Libya, which was bloodily crushed by government forces on 11 October.

After being brought to Otranto, they were repatriated who were drowning are rescued at the last moment TOTI BELLONE OTRANTO — Two Albanian citizens from Vlora, Uran Xhafa, 42, and Ahmet Isai, 37, were picked up in the middle of the Strait of Otranto at dawn on Friday by the crew of the NATO military vessel «Almond», a ship flying the Dutch flag. At sea aboard a small support boat that had been out of order for five days, the two had sent out an SOS signal, which was picked up by the Greek merchant ship «Nissos Kythos», which then notified the Greek and Italian air-rescue centers. But before the Dutch ship reached the boat carrying the two Albanians, five days had passed, according to the account given by the two men. Throughout that time, Uran Isai and Ahmet Xhafa had eaten only bread and drunk the water they had in a single flask. They had been pushed far from the Albanian coast while searching for the bodies of their compatriots who drowned when the fishing boat «Joni» sank. It was returning to Albania from the port of Brindisi, from which it had departed several weeks earlier. The breakdown of their six-meter boat, which was found to be unregistered in Brindisi, and the poor weather conditions over several nights had pushed them into the middle of the Strait, to the boundary of Italian territorial waters. Hungry and overcome by the cold, and perhaps aided by the Dutch soldiers, the two Albanian citizens were transferred to the Otranto Port Authority’s motorboat CP 2049 and returned to their homeland together with 44 other undocumented migrants detained during this period along the road near the coast linking Otranto with the provincial capital, Leçe. Their boat was seized in the Italian port, pending clarification by the Otranto port authorities regarding its ownership and where it had come from.

TIRANA — An Italian delegation headed by Giovanni Galloni, vice-president of the High Council of the Judiciary, arrives in Tirana today. Galloni is a member of parliament and the leading figure in Italian justice. He is coming to Albania accompanied by a delegation from UNICRI, a UN agency for legal assistance and training. Experts and specialists from this agency have been in Albania before. The main purpose of this visit is to establish ties and cooperation with the Albanian Ministry of Justice. During his stay, Galloni will meet with his counterpart Cela and other senior Albanian figures.

Renovation work on Hotel Tirana TIRANA — (c. bo.) — Hotel Tirana — one of the capital’s symbols, for better or worse — is about to change the city’s appearance. Tomorrow the final contract will be signed, marking the start of renovation work. The project, worth more than 20 million dollars, is being carried out by Albturist in cooperation with the Italian company «Di Vincenzo Esteri», Insig, the Albanian Savings Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is providing part of the financing. The contract will be signed at an official ceremony to be held at Hotel Tirana itself tomorrow afternoon. In addition to representatives of the companies that will oversee the renovation, those attending will include Prime Minister Meksi, Tourism Minister Spaho and Italian Ambassador Foresti. It is possible that the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, will also attend this brief event. The work, which will begin within a few weeks, provides for an almost complete renovation of the hotel, the largest in Albania. Only some furniture and the wooden floors will be retained from the current structure. According to the project, the renovation of Hotel Tirana, which the company is to complete by Christmas 1994, will turn it into a «three-star» hotel (that is, a luxury hotel), with 180 rooms, 1 bar, 2 restaurants (one of which will be open day and night), 1 tavern, 5 conference rooms, 8 shops inside the building and 1 beauty center. A number of offices will also be built in the same building. The front section of the hotel will be rebuilt (while respecting the architectural characteristics of Skënderbej Square), and an air-conditioning system will be installed. About 100 Albanian workers and 60 Italian workers will be engaged in the renovation work. The hotel’s management will employ 160 Albanians and 8 Italians. Much of the work and the supply of materials will be entrusted to Albanian companies, while Italy will specifically provide the furniture and equipment for furnishing the rooms. The company «Di Vincenzo Esteri» was established in the group in 1992: at that time there were 32 other companies that had made the same request. The first concrete agreement was signed on February 19, 1993, while the final plans were signed between September and October. The final contract will be signed tomorrow afternoon. Hotel Tirana is certainly one of the capital’s symbols, loved and hated at the same time. The size of the building was meant to represent the power of a regime that was, in fact, destined to fall. And it was precisely that regime that turned Hotel Tirana into a symbol of its cruelty as well. The top floor, reserved for people, had been used by the state Security Service as a safe house, where political dissidents were confined and interrogated for days before being transferred to communist prisons. Renovating Hotel Tirana also serves today to erase once and for all the face of a past that must be forgotten. Hotel Tirana