TRIAL After the indictment is read, the judicial investigation gets under way in an unusual manner. The prosecution will be the first to try to prove the defendants' guilt "Arsidi," the first surprise Will the high-profile witnesses appear? The lawyers had also requested other people EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA - The first surprise in the trial over the “Arsidi scandal.” And the first indication that the list of witnesses will be longer than ten, the number previously anticipated by the prosecution. At the start of yesterday's hearing, before prosecutor Qeleshi read the indictment, the Chairman of the Trial Panel publicly stated that he would also consider the request of several lawyers, who had insistently sought the summons of people who—in their view—are absolutely essential to shed full light on the case in question. Thus, since the lawyers have made their claims known for days, it would be no surprise if a number of figures from the current state administration, as well as others from past governments, testified in this trial. The second surprise was again provided by the Chairman of the Trial Panel, Andi Çeliku. In an unusual move in this high-profile trial, after the indictment was read, Çeliku called for the judicial investigation to begin with the witnesses to the events described in it. In these circumstances, the prosecution will initially have to prove, through the witnesses, the guilt of Saliu, Tartari, Hoti, Xhyheri and Ahmeti. In trials of this kind, after the indictment, it had instead been the accused who requested that they be acquitted. Today, their testimony will be given by Perikli Samsuri, Liljana Nanaj, Qamil Tushe, Zhaneta Tole, Adnan Shtylla, Ferdinand Haxhia, Ardian Kamberi, Brunilda Naqe, Ilda Barbullushi and Ardian Fullani, mostly current bankers, with the exception of Samsuri, who is retired. Although most of them have testified before judges on other occasions, interest remains focused on the other witnesses, who may be approved by the Court. The first positive sign that the list would be expanded has been given. Now all that remains is for the high-profile names mentioned by the lawyers to appear in the courtroom. The trial has just begun. The charges TIRANA - Here are all the “offences” of the five defendants, according to the indictment read yesterday by Tirana Prosecutor Arben Qeleshi: Agron Saliu, Agim Tartari - On June 8, ’91, in Paris, together with Tartari, Saliu provided Arsidi with a mandate, appointing him an organizing adviser for international trade. On December 21, ’91, the Commercial Bank ordered the Girocentral Bank in Vienna to pay $640,000 to Arsidi's account, even though the first bill of exchange for the fees had not yet been entered in the accounts. On December 30, ’91, Arsidi opened personal accounts for Saliu and Tartari at “General Bank Luxembourg,” initially crediting Tartari's account with $160,000. That same day, Tartari transferred half this amount to Saliu's account, while the following day Saliu withdrew $1,800 for his brother. On the 22nd, the Commercial Bank transferred a further $945,500 to Arsidi's account. On May 5, ’92, Saliu and Tartari travelled again and each withdrew $20,000 from their accounts at “General Bank Luxembourg.” Ardian Xhyheri - On November 3, ’91, Xhyheri signed the agreement, under which it was concluded that Arsidi would be paid fees of $1,600,000. On March 20, ’92, Xhyheri Hoti again signed the bill of exchange for $1.6 million in Arsidi's favour. On March 12, ’92, Arsidi opened a personal account for Xhyheri at “General Bank Luxembourg,” which was funded with $16,000 on May 4, ’92. In October ’92, after closing his personal account, Xhyheri transferred the $16,000 in his name to the Commercial Bank. Ilir Hoti - In December ’91, Hoti provided Arsidi with a mandate, granting him the exclusive right to negotiate. On March 12, ’92, while accompanying Hoti to Luxembourg, Arsidi opened a personal account for him at “General Bank Luxembourg.” After receiving $650,000 from his lawyer, Arsidi claims that he gave the money to Hoti at the “Intercontinental” Hotel to deposit it in his account. On March 13, ’92, Hoti ordered from Tirana that his account, which had nothing deposited in it, be closed on July 14, ’92. Arsidi states that he gave Hoti another $650,000 at his office. Vilson Ahmeti - On December 15, ’91, Ahmeti provided Arsidi with a mandate, appointing him negotiator of the foreign debt. On December 16, ’91, Ahmeti signed another mandate for Arsidi, this time concerning the fees to be paid to him, regardless of success. (e.l) Defendants Saliu and Ahmeti during yesterday's hearing. In the small photo, Chairman of the Trial Panel Andi Çeliku. Photo: H. Pustina Prosecutor Qeleshi while reading the indictment. Beside him, Gjok, Gjokutaj. testify left? [?] ... nality of today’s state administration, just as ... their innocence. Today Perikli Samsuri and ... will give their testimony, descend into the courtroom. The trial has just begun. ... a mandate to Arsidin, giving him the exclusive right to negotiate. 12 March ... would be given to him, regardless of succes- s. (e.l) Puka, and more precisely the Gegjan area. Although it was not strong, the previous night had not been reported. (ar.me.)

The grip of cold tightens across the country TIRANA - Cold weather and precipitation have continued to sweep across Albania. The grip of the cold—it seems to have tightened most in the north, where for several days thermometers have not risen above zero—is expected to keep the country in its grasp for some time yet. Heavy clouds will sweep over all of Albania again today, while yesterday the first snowflakes also began falling over the city of Shkodër. In a short period, the consequences of this unexpected onslaught have caused serious damage in many parts of the country: major roads blocked by heavy snowfall, villages flooded, and houses cut off by the fury of raging rivers. After the villages along the Shkumbin in the first days of this month, rivers have overflowed into other inhabited areas as well. This time, misfortune has struck the homes in the village of Caj, in the district of Kukës. The heavy rainfall of recent days has caused the Çaja stream to burst its banks, flooding eight buildings and making them completely uninhabitable. Other houses along its banks are also under threat from the waters, as the stream's flow often becomes uncontrollable. Meanwhile, snow continues to block the national road between Gjirokastër and Sarandë. The heavy snowfall has created a series of difficulties for traffic in the area, resulting in a long line of cars waiting to get through. It has also created an obstacle for students at the University of Gjirokastër: many have been unable to return after the holidays, thereby risking their exams, whose dates may have to be postponed. Albanian emigrants who need to return to Greece are also alarmed. The blocked roads in the country have prevented them from leaving within the deadlines set by the Greek authorities. a.m

Breaking news / Just panic? SHKODËR - Earthquake in Shkodër. For a few seconds, at around 8:45 p.m. last night, the entire city was shaken by a noticeable tremor. According to the Italian Institute of Geophysics, the earthquake measured 5 on the Mercalli scale. Its epicenter was Puka, more precisely the area of Gjegjan. Although it was not strong, fear and panic spread immediately through Shkodër. Many of the city's residents went outside to avoid any possible danger. The police authorities were also put on alert; they contacted the villages to check the situation. As of 10:00 p.m. last night, no report had been received. (ar.me.)

Krujë ’94 KRUJË — Failure to complete the documentation for agricultural land at the cadastral offices was one of the main reasons that hindered tax collection in the district of Krujë. Of the 73 million lekë not paid into the state treasury for 1994, 52 million are due to the failure to collect tax on agricultural land. The remaining 8 million lekë are the result of failure to collect turnover tax. The obstacle is the lack of cadastral documents. Of the district's 37 villages, 15 have still not submitted documentation for their land, a situation that specialists regard as an attempt to evade tax obligations. The cadastral specialists also hold the local government authorities and the financial police responsible for their passive stance in upholding the law.

Elbasan, had killed a fellow villager Court: “He is ill” Elbasan, had killed a fellow villager Imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital Court: “He is ill” ELBASAN — He had killed for no reason, but instead of prison he ended up in a psychiatric hospital. In the opinion of the judges of the Elbasan Court, 33-year-old A. Shaqau was considered not responsible for his actions; nevertheless, deeming him a dangerous person, they ordered his confinement and admission to the psychiatric hospital. It was the hospital where the 33-year-old from Gjinar had been staying until a few days before committing the crime. Shaqau had been arrested by the police three months earlier. He had killed and then brutally mutilated a fellow villager; according to the investigators and the trial panel, the reasons for this were entirely without motive. In their view, Shaqau had committed the crime only because he was mentally ill. Meanwhile, the hospital doctors, from which he had been discharged as cured, explained that his condition had worsened because his family had not continued the treatment they had prescribed. There are currently around 20 patients in the Elbasan psychiatric hospital who are dissatisfied and have been charged with crimes by the Justice system. All of them are being held in isolation and under strict police guard and supervision. This oversight was put in place only recently. A year ago, these patients, although convicted, had unrestricted freedom, just like the other ordinary patients. Me. Ki.

— A terrifying train journey for a little boy from Fier on Wednesday. Leaning out of the window, five-year-old Iden Toska fell while the carriage was still moving at speed on the Fier-Vlorë line, near Ferras station. The alarm raised by his grandmother and sister, who were travelling with him, caused the train to brake immediately, only 100 metres from where Toska had fallen. Fortunately, the little boy was still alive, though in serious condition in intensive care. En. My.

From Finance TIRANE — Lawyers, too, must have cash registers. This is what tax inspectors have demanded, saying that the government decision itself provides for this. “According to it, even those who ‘provide various services’ must be equipped with cash registers,” one of them told the newspaper. “Lawyers meet this criterion, and we do not want our superiors to call their exclusion a violation.” Meanwhile, it is the lawyers themselves who have objected, explaining that their clients do not pay them every day, or even once a week. Specialists at the Ministry of Finance say that the criterion for requiring cash registers should be the frequency of payments made each day, but this has not been properly reflected in the government decision. And if this rule is applied regularly, some 700 lawyers in Albania will pay 400 dollars each to get a cash register, only to use it perhaps once a month. (gj.p.)

CURSIVE REALITY LEZHË — The discovery of the grave of a Catholic cleric who had come to Albania on a church mission from the regions of Croatia was almost accidental. A remark about his tragic fate brought back the memory of 72-year-old Marie Jaku, who was able to tell the truth that had been buried by time. Kë [sic] ka s[a]j në një kasafortë për t’u shfaqur ndoshta një dru ulliri. In 1925, Father Sera (in Kodaj) began his work as parish priest at the Catholic church located in that village. Was he a Catholic? [?] ... Marie Jaku s[?] began to be turned into a hospital, where Marie Jaku started working as a nurse. And it was here, too, that he died; the tragedy took place. The state security organs arrested Father Serafin. After two months of inhuman torture, they sent him to the hospital set up on the second floor of the church where he had served for 22 years. And there, the nurse Mari[a] was able to serve God’s man for the last time. Secretly, away from the guard, she fed and changed him, until the martyr breathed his last. But Maria — as she had gone with the hospital kitchen’s Lazrin — they took the lifeless body and buried it. Për shën[t]ëm këta mbr[?] me fill[?] ulliri. And so, after almost half a century, a brief remark about the event came knocking at Maria’s door — now 72 years old — revealing, in the trunk of her memory, the truth about the much-discussed fate of the cleric. She got up and — now accompanied by many people — exhumed the martyr’s bones with her own hands, in order to rebury them in the church where he had served with devotion. Zef Përgega

Vlora, instructors concerned about the decision The maritime school will move to Tirana Vlora, instructors concerned about the decision Will the Naval Academy leave the sea? The maritime school will move to Tirana VLORË — It seems that the Naval Academy will leave Vlora. After 32 years in this city, it is quite possible that the military naval school will be transferred to Tirana as part of the reform and the consolidation of the academies in the capital. The news, which has not yet been officially confirmed, has deeply unsettled all the instructors at the institution. They have even prepared a protest — signed by all the staff cadres and addressed to the country’s highest authorities. The officers’ concern — the school trains specialists only for the military fleet, not the civilian one — is also connected to the technical consequences a possible transfer to Tirana could bring. In their view, merely relocating the equipment and the most sophisticated teaching laboratories would make its revival impossible. The citizens of Vlora are also concerned. Removing the Academy would also put at risk the naval engineering department, opened for the first time at this city’s university. Stavri Marko

— A very special hospital is taking shape in Sarandë. For the first time in Albania, there will be a healthcare institution that will care for children with disabilities, those with neuromuscular disorders, those suffering from blood diseases, and even those with AIDS. Construction of this hospital — initially to have 60 beds and be equipped with modern apparatus — has been made possible thanks to an investment by the humanitarian association “Albanian Children AIDS”. The same association will fund the hospital for another 5 years and will hire a selected staff of doctors and nurses from America.

Water for the people of Shëngjin The second phase of construction of the water supply system in Shëngjin has begun. Work to get it up and running was made possible after several bureaucratic hurdles. The construction company has planned to complete its work this summer. It is hoped that, after a very long time, the future reservoir and the use of 160 tonnes of pipes will provide Shëngjin's residents with an abundant water supply for many years. Schools to be renovated UNICEF and the Ministry of Education have made it possible to renovate two schools and a kindergarten in the city of Elbasan. This is thanks to funding provided by both institutions to improve the hygiene and sanitation conditions in schools, which truly leave much to be desired. In addition, after a long period out of operation, work will begin on renovating Kindergarten No. 7. Suspicions about a Macedonian company The Albanian side in an Albanian-Macedonian joint venture has accused its foreign partners of irresponsibility. According to a report by the official news agency in Lushnje, the Albanian partners in the “Albalura” enterprise are now deprived of the management of the enterprise and of the profits due to them. According to the same report, the Albanians have repeatedly reported several fictitious agreements involving sums of money.

Apulian fishing boat escapes from Croatia It had been seized for 14 days ON PAGE 2 Football ’95 kicks off today: the Albanian Cup is inaugurated “Tomori” plays in Lushnje ON PAGE 3