Millions of dollars in losses for the state After the arrests, prosecutor Hoxhati explains: “Here is what has been uncovered” ANDREA STEFANI TIRANA — The Customs scandal: before the prosecutor’s office. “Former Director General Thoma Bicolli had not organized operations in such a way that the customs system, exercising all the powers granted to it by law, could assess duties for every customs transaction. He has been arrested for this.” Hoxhati, Director of the Directorate of Legality at the Republic’s Prosecutor’s Office, tells Gazeta what led to the sudden imprisonment in Tirana Prison of the Director General of Customs, Thoma Bicolli. This is the latest action so far by the judicial authorities concerning the customs sector and smuggling, subjects that have recently been much discussed in Albania. The arrest of the Director General of Customs did not happen in a vacuum. Some time ago, arrest warrants had been issued for Marko Shugran, an employee at the Kakavija Customs Office, and Nabil Silin, a Lebanese trader suspected of cigarette smuggling. It is now clear that the phenomenon is not merely local. It appears to be much broader and to have penetrated much deeper. Hundreds of cases have been verified in which cargoes of goods belonging to various domestic and foreign companies passed through Albanian customs without paying the required duties. “People knew that traders were failing to clear their goods through customs,” says Fitim Hoxhati, who has now also been assigned to pursue this case. “Bicolli did not set the customs and legal systems in motion to eliminate this irregularity. There is no record of any complaint being filed with the investigative authorities. “Strangely, this passivity has also been accompanied by another absurdity,” the prosecutor continues. “After several complaints to the Financial Police yielded no results, all these violations of the law were shelved.” But the financial scale of these violations is so great that some of the most talked-about scandals of the time could seem small in comparison. The customs building in the foreground. Hundreds of shipments of goods are involved, and the value of the duties owed on them could reach $40,000. The failure to collect customs duties in these cases has cost the state budget millions of dollars. “During the period December 1992–January 1993 alone,” the General Directorate of the Financial Police told Gazeta, “... goods priced at twice the usual rate, in a number of categories, went through customs without duties being paid, amounting to $170,000.” The suspicions of the Prosecutor’s Office now point to the possibility of an even greater problem. “So far, we are talking only about shipments that were registered but not cleared through customs,” Hoxhati continues, “but there is a risk that some companies that have not cleared their goods and have registered their imported cargoes with customs may exist only on paper.” The damage caused by the trading and importation of these goods through the customs system also has other consequences. There is still no complete information on the quantity of cargoes that passed through as if cleared through customs without being registered at all. But that is not all. Failure to pay duties and the exploitation of lower customs tariffs have enabled traders to pursue a genuine dumping policy (importing goods at lower prices), putting domestic products at a competitive disadvantage. Significant in this regard is a study by the police’s Free Trade Department, which lists all the companies that have imported goods in this category. The point is that the way the customs system has operated in these cases—the network for collecting taxes in the economy—and its integration with the world economy have created conditions for illegal practices and have distorted domestic human and productive resources. “We are continuing the investigation,” Hoxhati explains, “and we are carefully examining the consequences that all this customs activity may have caused, which may be additional.”

The draft law provides for only 6 cases carrying the death penalty, down from the previous 13. Parliamentary approval is expected New amendments to Albania’s Penal Code ARMAND MERO TIRANA — Another revolution in Albania’s Penal Code. There will be three fundamental changes: provisions leading to the death penalty may finally be limited, and life imprisonment is provided for in Albania for the first time; fines may also be imposed for certain criminal offenses; and precise criteria will be established for suspended sentences. The Albanian Parliament will soon examine the draft law “On some amendments and additions to the Penal Code of the Republic of Albania.” Limiting the legal provisions that provide for the death penalty is the most important issue proposed by this draft law. Only 6 articles—out of the 13 in the current Penal Code—will provide for crimes punishable by death. Meanwhile, life imprisonment is to be introduced—for the first time—as a new form of punishment. It is intended to apply instead of the death penalty and also in cases of certain offenses, such as sexual crimes when the victim dies or commits suicide, or military crimes. In this way, life imprisonment could replace and avoid the death penalty—where appropriate—even in cases where the latter is provided for. The draft law also provides that life imprisonment will not apply to minors—those under 18—or to women. Another new measure will be the application of fines as a criminal penalty. Under the existing Code, they were provided mainly for misdemeanors. The fine will range from 10,000 to 1 million lekë. If it is not paid, it will be replaced by imprisonment, calculated at 300 lekë—which represents the value of one day’s work—for each day of imprisonment. Important changes are also proposed for suspended sentences and conditional early release. They are intended to apply only to misdemeanors and will be determined according to three main criteria: the prison sentence must not exceed three years; the person must have served the sentence; and the offense must not have been repeated. The main changes Here are some of the main changes envisaged: 1) DEATH PENALTY — Under the existing Penal Code, it is provided for in 13 articles. The new draft law limits it to only 6 cases and reserves it for very serious crimes. 2) LIFE IMPRISONMENT — Provided for in Albania for the first time. It will apply to crimes that were previously punishable by death. It is also proposed for some cases of sexual crimes and for military crimes. 3) FINE — Under the existing Penal Code, it is applied mainly to misdemeanors and in amounts of 50 to 1,000 lekë. The draft law provides ...

SEMINAR ON DIPLOMACY BY THE “SKEN-DERBEJ” FOUNDATION IN TIRANA — This is the first event organized by the Italian “Skënderbeu” Foundation, established specifically to help Albania. It is a traditional seminar on diplomacy, organized on the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with specialists from the Ministry. At the seminar, where Italian diplomat Alberto Kandilli delivered a presentation, his country’s experience in organizing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other issues in this field was shared. PRICE OF FRESH MEAT FALLS IN BERAT — An encouraging situation for consumers in Berat. The price of fresh meat has fallen to 200 lekë per kilogram from the previous price of 280 lekë per kilogram. Several factors have contributed to this reduction: abundant supplies of meat from private traders and cold-storage facilities, as well as an increase in the number of livestock. SCHOOL BUILDING IN KUKËS TURNED INTO A STABLE — The city of Kukës resembles a large livestock complex. This is due to the increase in the number of livestock kept by various residents. With no stables available, they have put their animals on the ground floors of apartment buildings. Recently, the still-unfinished secondary-school building has also begun to be used for this purpose. HUMANITARIAN AID FROM THE “AVRINDIM” ASSOCIATION IN KORÇË — This time, residents of the Moglicë commune have benefited from humanitarian aid from the Italian “Avrindim” association. The aid consists mainly of food and clothing for children aged 0–3. A medical team from the association also carried out examinations and distributed free medicines to the sick.

TIRANA — (Ed. La.) The Arsidi scandal has come before the Tirana Court, which has issued its decision regarding the six people accused of benefiting from the scandal: Vilson Ahmeti, former Prime Minister of the Technical Government, after spending 10 days in Tirana Prison, petitioned the court to revoke the security measure against him. After the hearing, the court rejected the request by the defendant and his lawyer, stating that “the arrest measure against Ahmeti is based on the law.” Confined to his home on February 18 of this year on a charge of “unlawful acts committed in the performance of his duties,” Ahmeti was arrested on October 30, 1998.

Macedonian police report SKOPJE — Albanians involved in an arms-trafficking operation near Macedonia. According to reports circulated by the AFP news agency and Skopje radio, seven people have been arrested by Macedonian police on suspicion that they “smuggled 30 Kalashnikov automatic rifles that were being sent to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.” Referring to this information, the Macedonian police allegedly produced documents showing the records of some of those arrested, identifying them as recruits in established paramilitary organizations. Macedonia has a population that is 30 percent of Albanian origin. Police have intercepted communications from the country’s southern regions, on the border with Albania. Albanians are demanding respect for their rights and independence, which in the south is considered a necessity. In any case, in Macedonia, the governments of Tirana and Skopje seem to be calmer, with the two neighboring countries linked by mutual solidarity and the Albanian position regarding Greece and relations with both countries. A few weeks ago, Prime Minister Papandreu accused Macedonia of trying to “steal” the name of Skanderbeg, who, according to him, was Greek. At the same time, efforts concerning Albanian emigrants are intensifying.

TIRANA — The investigation into the sentencing scandal involving former Prime Minister Nano is being transferred from Tirana to Rome for several days. A few days before the departure of the Albanian prosecutors for Italy, the lawyer representing Fatos Nano is also being drawn into the matter. Përparimi Sankaçaku — according to the Italian news agency — is familiar with the history of this scandal and will also contact the Italian lawyers who have undertaken, or expressed a wish, to defend Fatos Nano. “If our Italian colleagues allow him to participate in our investigations,” prosecutor Fatos Dervishi told Gazeta, “Sankaçaku’s presence will pose no problem.”

Now his parents can hope for his life After the appeal, the sick child is being treated in a hospital in Bari DURRËS — (p. re.) — Hope prevailed. After a long three-day wait, little Regi Salati, three and a half years old and from Durrës, who was very seriously ill, from Durrës, who was very seriously ill, was transferred to Italy. An ambulance from the pediatric hospital “Giovanni XXIII” had come to meet him at Bari airport. The little one, accompanied by his mother, Alma Salati — underwent a series of initial examinations at the hospital. According to the diagnosis made by the doctors at the pediatric hospital in Durrës, Regi suffers from “infectious mononucleosis,” a very serious disease that could not be treated with the medicines available in Albania. Last Saturday the boy’s parents appealed to Italy, asking for Regi to be transferred to Bari so that they could save his life. The appeal was taken up by “Gazeta Shqiptare,” which, thanks to important cooperation with the Italian Embassy and the “Giovanni XXIII” Pediatric Hospital, was able to organize his transfer at very short notice. The company “Ada Air” donated the transport for the child and his mother. After many telephone calls and the preparation of all the necessary documents, Regi arrived in Italy on Tuesday evening. Now the most delicate phase begins. The doctors in Bari will carry out a long series of clinical tests to determine his illness precisely and identify the means of beginning the appropriate therapy. All that remains is to wish little Regi a speedy recovery. The family arrives at Bari airport

The story of a young woman “My fiancé doesn’t want me to study” When love becomes a prison ON PAGE 3 Bomb hits an elementary school seven dead in Sarajevo Three children among the victims ON PAGE 2

Everyone dreams when they sleep. This is an entirely normal fact, except that sometimes these dreams are so beautiful or so bad that they leave you amazed and astonished when you wake up. But dreams can also be “warning dreams,” that is, they may contain a warning, a warning about what may happen in the future. Every week “Gazeta Shqiptare” offers its readers explanations and the meanings of the objects and situations dreamed about while asleep. FOOD Psychological interpretation: Dreaming of eating is almost never connected to the feeling of hunger, but has a very strong symbolic content. The desire to eat is the first desire of a human being: in fact, a newborn spends its time eating. This absolute connection between pleasure and need constitutes the meaning of food, which will always represent a mother’s love and love in general. One need only consider that many psychological disorders are connected with food, for example mental deprivation of food (complete refusal to eat, even to the point of death). Predictions: Food promises good fortune. In particular, it heralds victory. BRIDGE Psychological interpretation: A bridge allows passage from one place to another: it is therefore a symbol of mediation, of the difficulty of passing a decisive test. If the bridge sways beneath us, it seems that the situation we are going through presents great difficulties and that we are not ready to overcome them. Pay close attention to the people we meet on the bridge: they may be aspects of our personality that are now emerging, or important people in this phase of life. Predictions: This dream is a good omen for business activities: at least for those who do not dream of falling from the bridge or getting stuck, because in that case the prediction changes. A broken bridge indicates unfaithfulness. NUDITY Psychological interpretation: Nudity represents the true person, stripped of all the hypocrisy and pretence imposed on them by society. Seeing ourselves without clothes bears witness to our desire to be sincere. The same dream can have a different meaning—that of shyness and fear: the absence of clothing symbolizes the anxiety that may overwhelm us if we think there is no one to protect us. Predictions: Nudity in a dream heralds the end of problems and a full recovery. Running naked in a dream foretells unexpected success. EXAM Psychological interpretation: These are very common dreams, in which it appears that we must face a difficult or very important situation. Predictions: In general, an exam foretells success, especially when it is passed successfully.