JUSTICE After Parliament approved the resignation of a member of the Court of Cassation, President Zef Brozi gives his version. Then he makes a grave accusation “There are corrupt judges” Decisions made in exchange for payment? ARMAND MESRO TIRANA — “Corruption exists in the Justice system too: and I want to state this reality.” Zef Brozi, President of the Court of Cassation, tells Gazeta of his concerns about the current state of the Albanian Justice system. Corruption—a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly worrying—has apparently also spread to the Justice system, including the courts and judges themselves. A few days ago, two important changes took place in the Albanian Justice system. The Deputy Minister of Justice left his post to be appointed President of the Court in the district of Laç. On the same day, Parliament approved the resignation of Nafiz Bezhani, one of the members of the Court of Cassation. Bezhani states that one of the reasons for his resignation is his disagreement with Zef Brozi. “Yes, it is true,” Brozi tells Gazeta. “Bezhani’s resignation is connected with my position as President of the Court of Cassation regarding decisions and conduct by judges that run counter to the law.” What is the truth about Bezhani’s resignation, and what are the disagreements he mentions in his statement that took place between you? “My principles in this position are the judge’s integrity and the correct application of the law. I consider these two prerequisites for people to regain their trust in the Justice system and for corruption not to gain ground. Corruption is difficult to uncover in the Justice system, because judges are guided by their own convictions when issuing decisions; in other words, they are independent. But this independence has a limitation, and that is the law. On this point, I am in agreement with Bezhani and all those judges who think and act as he does. According to Bezhani’s view, and that of some other judges, a judge’s independence is unlimited, which can go as far as the absence of legal responsibility for the decisions they issue.” These are general disagreements. But what specifically is the issue with Bezhani? “A few days ago, Nafiz Bezhani and our clerk went from the Court of Cassation to Durrës. Without the President’s knowledge—that is, mine—and in flagrant breach of their duties and in their personal interests, they went urgently to the Court of Appeal in Durrës to retrieve the file concerning two Italian smugglers who had been tried. The owner of the speedboat—which had been seized from the smugglers—had made a public appeal together with his lawyer. Bezhani did not even wait for the court’s decision to be announced; he took the file while returning through the corridor.” But why would they have done this? “Some say that the Italians had made millions of lekë available to have the seizure of the speedboat lifted. I learned this from other people; Nafiz Bezhani also admitted it before his colleagues. But he said he had done it on the pretext that he was a personal friend of the speedboat’s owner. As for the chief secretary—who had ordered the correction service in Durrës—he was dismissed.” You stressed that integrity and precise application of the law are conditions for preventing corruption from gaining ground. Can one speak of corruption in the courts, and therefore in your Court as well? “The courts are part of corruption as a whole. Many judicial decisions have been issued in exchange for payments. We have therefore referred two judges for criminal prosecution for the unjust decisions they issued. Incompetence is an unacceptable excuse. Corruption is a reality, and I will fight it. Those who think otherwise would do well to continue resigning.” The Tirana Court

TIRANA — (Ar. Me.) — “My resignation has nothing to do with the case of the smugglers,” Nafiz Bezhani, a member of the Court of Cassation, tells Gazeta. “Brozi and I have different views on how court cases should be considered.” On 13 November, the Albanian Parliament approved the resignation request submitted by Judge Bezhani. “This request, which I submitted on 18 October,” he tells Gazeta, “is the second one I have submitted since Zef Brozi took up the position of President of the Court of Cassation.” According to him, the main reason for his resignation is the contradictions and disagreements that have arisen over the trial of several cases. “I am leaving because I will not allow them to put me in [?],” Bezhani says, “and I will not allow them to interfere in the cases I judge.” But another accusation hangs over Bezhani: that he acted against the rules by retrieving a trial file in order to help an Italian. “I did not retrieve the file; the Italian himself did, the owner of a speedboat stolen by some smugglers,” Bezhani objects. “I myself asked that this case, which has been pending for over four months, not be allowed to drag on.”

Community Commission report EC aid to Albania Strasbourg criticizes prices The transport rates for flour supplied to the baking industry are denounced. “There were shortcomings in oversight...” TIRANA — “An inexplicable difference (from 17 to 34 ECU per tonne) in the price of transporting bread flour” was noted in European Community aid to Albania during 1992. The concern was raised at a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where the Community Control Commission’s Annual Report has just been presented. The report is highly critical, particularly of food aid supplied by the EC to the countries of Eastern Europe and the former USSR republics. Thus, the issue raised some time ago by Gazeta concerning the very high prices of certain EC aid goods for Albania has been reopened—this time in Strasbourg. This phenomenon was first denounced by the managers of Albanian foreign-trade enterprises. For the same goods—which included flour—these enterprises, as well as many private traders, had offered lower prices. The State Control Commission in Albania has for some time been engaged in verifying the procedures, deadlines and prices applied in delivering EC aid to Albanian industry, but its findings have not yet been published. The high prices made the aid goods far less competitive than those offered by Albanian enterprises and private traders, resulting in the creation of stockpiles. This situation forced the Albanian Government—in mid-October—to lower their prices, sacrificing part of the counterpart fund. And although in Albania—in the offices of government departments and EC representatives—it has been extremely difficult to obtain a clear explanation for these strange phenomena, the Strasbourg report offers the troubling finding of “a lack of appropriate controls on grain,” particularly in Albania, Estonia and Latvia. ANDREA STEFANI A shipment of wheat transported by personnel of the “Pellicano” contingent

The trader is wanted by the police EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — The “methyl alcohol” case remains unpredictable. After marathon hearings held at the Tirana Court against five defendants, the proceedings have now taken another turn. The Tirana Prosecutor’s Office ordered the arrest of the defendant Dhimitër Gjovreku, one of the witnesses in this case, one of the witnesses in this case. The charge against Gjovreku—as against the other defendants—is “the production and sale of drinks dangerous to life.” But his arrest was not carried out: the defendant did not appear in court, and the law-enforcement authorities have now declared him wanted. Thus, Gjovreku becomes the second defendant—along with Skënder Haxhaku—to have evaded arrest, after they left for an unknown destination. In any case, the arrest warrant for the latest defendant, Arben Qeleshit—who was not in this position when the case was investigated—was issued at a rare point in the proceedings, when the Prosecutor’s Office drew it up. It is one of the rare cases in which the court, by ordering an arrest, exercises the powers granted to it by law, even after the case has been referred to the Court. But although arrests have also been ordered after the case was referred to the Court, the trial of the defendants in the “methyl alcohol” case is still awaited; the hearings, which began some time ago, are expected to conclude—at least for some of the witnesses—with the defendant still being held at Tirana Prison.

A woman accuses him TIRANA — (e.l.) — A police officer serving at the Police Post of the Hospitals has ended up in the hands of the police at the 1st Police Station in Tirana. This time, the reason was a complaint by a worker at the “Profarma” enterprise in Tirana, who accuses the officer—who was on duty at the enterprise that day—of attempted rape. According to the complaint, the incident occurred on Sunday, around 8 in the morning, while “Profarma” was almost empty. The 24-year-old police officer was detained by law-enforcement officers that same day, at 18:30. Investigations are continuing.

Municipality appeal Appeal from the Municipality “No heating with electric power” TIRANA — (p. re.) “The population of Tirana must be clear that, in its current condition, the electricity network cannot guarantee anything for heating homes with electric power.” The clear appeal comes from the Municipality through Skënder Muça, Director of the Energy Department at this institution. According to him, only 22 percent of the capital’s electricity network is in very good condition, following the intervention by the Italian Government with aid of 5 million dollars. Although improvements to the existing network are still being made, the Electricity Enterprise does not guarantee the heating of homes with electric power.

64 prayer rugs disappear from the Kuwaiti Religious Association Police have detained two perpetrators so far and announced a search for a third TIRANA 64 prayer rugs disappear from the Kuwaiti Religious Association The robbers of Muslim prayers Police have detained two perpetrators so far and announced a search for a third TIRANA — (E.A.) — A robbery committed in Tirana, perhaps not thought through by its perpetrators, has put the normal performance of religious prayers by Albanian Muslims at risk. Dozens of prayer rugs—which formed an important part of the setting where believers take off their shoes to perform namaz and pray in the mosque—had disappeared several days ago. Their disappearance from the building of the Kuwaiti Islamic Charitable Association, on the outskirts of the capital, was discovered several days ago. Located on “Hoxha” Street, it has been a source of concern and distress for Muslims; the matter was investigated by the Police, who report that the perpetrators have been detained following further efforts by the Police Directorate in Tirana, and that a search has been announced for another accomplice. But the Tirana police have not stopped there. So far, during searches conducted at the homes of the suspects, 64 prayer rugs have been recovered, some of which had been sold. “The perpetrators have been identified and sentenced to prison,” says the Police Command spokesperson, “not only for the sake of the association, but also for the sake of other religious associations or institutions that are taking concrete steps against robbery.”

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 astonished and bewildered when you wake up. But dreams can also be “prophetic,” that is, they may contain a foretelling, a warning about what may happen in the future. Every week “Gazeta Shqiptare” offers its readers an explanation and the meaning of the objects and situations most often dreamed about. ECLIPSE Psychological interpretation: This highly evocative dream points to a darkening in our inner life; perhaps something around us is changing and bringing melancholy; a love that is ending, a move to another city... That is why this image is also associated with a state of depression. Predictions: Folk interpretation has always associated eclipses with disasters and illnesses with serious consequences. In a dream, too, it promises nothing good: a lunar eclipse precedes betrayal and failure; a major solar eclipse... ELEPHANT Psychological interpretation: Its somewhat comical physical build makes the elephant a very distinctive animal, seeming as if it has survived from prehistoric times. Calm, trustworthy and strong, it symbolizes unshakable stability. But sometimes its image fills the dreams of someone anxious about survival problems. In this case, a sexual interpretation cannot be left out either, as it is very evident given its great strength: the elephant is also a phallic symbol. Predictions: An elephant in a dream warns that there is a dangerous possibility. GHOST Psychological interpretation: The ghosts of the past, as a consequence, appear in other forms that frighten us, but which we must learn to control. Predictions: In general, the future associated with a ghost in a dream is dominated by misery. If the ghost is black, tragedy is coming onto the scene.

The tractor is wanted by the police A woman accuses him YESTERDAY IN ALBANIA Municipal appeal INSIDE

BUILDINGS WITHOUT PERMITS WILL ALSO BE DEMOLISHED IN TEPELENA — More than 100 unauthorized buildings have been identified in the towns of Tepelena and Memaliaj. The head of the Urban Planning Office at the District Council confirms the Council’s authority to “demolish some of these buildings, which conflict with the towns’ plans and their future development.” LAÇ, PATRIOTS WHO FOUGHT TO DEFEND THE COUNTRY’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY DECORATED — Four patriots who fought against the Serbian-Montenegrin occupiers, from the period of the League of Prizren through to the Koplik War in 1920, were awarded decorations conferred by President Berisha. The decorated patriots were Bali Dema, Ismail Gali, Iber Hysi and Bardh Rica. HOTEL “SPORTI” IN BURREL TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION AFTER COURT CASES — Privatized two years ago for 120 thousand lekë, Hotel “Sporti” has now been found by the Privatization Agency’s branch to have been privatized “in violation of the laws.” After six court cases, the Court of Cassation ruled that the hotel be returned to its previous state. The property will soon be sold at auction. EXISTING NATIONAL TAXES TO BECOME LOCAL TAXES — At the latest meeting of the Council of Ministers, the draft law “On an amendment to the tax system” was approved. The new draft law provides for existing national taxes to become local taxes, in order to ensure the financial resources needed by local government. A supplementary draft law concerning amnesty and rehabilitation for former political persecuted persons was also approved at the meeting.

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