“A commission on the Greek man’s case” The chairman counter-accuses: “Who helped Kalafatos escape?” “The defendant’s passport had been blocked by the Police.” “I will ask the Plenum for his full acquittal” TIRANA - “I will ask for a parliamentary commission to be set up on the Greek man’s case.” This is the latest initiative by Zef Brozi—he told Gazeta Shqiptare—immediately following the public accusations made against him by two Cassation jurists. But that is not all, because Brozi intends to go even further: “I will ask for this case to be retried by the Cassation Plenum, in order to finally acquit the Greek defendant.” Thus, within just a few days, the case file of an ordinary Greek citizen risks being brought before the Albanian Parliament for a second time. Previously, it was the Republic’s Prosecutor who had requested the lifting of Brozi’s immunity—precisely over this affair—whereas now it is Brozi himself who is calling for a parliamentary commission to be set up. “This commission must verify everything that the Chair of the Judicial Panel, Bardha Selenca, has stated publicly,” Brozi says, “and it must also examine the investigative and court file at the Lushnark[a?] Prosecutor’s Office. All the flagrant violations committed so far must also be verified, and it must be insisted that the case be investigated again by the Prosecutor’s Office that originally investigated it, not by the Lush[n?]tarke one.” Meanwhile, the case of the Greek man Kalafatos—now so closely connected with that of Zef Brozi—has reached another high level of the Albanian justice system. The Constitutional Court, following a request by the PD Parliamentary Group, will soon decide whether the lifting of the immunity of the Chairman of the Court of Cassation falls within Parliament’s jurisdiction. If so, the case will once again be raised at parliamentary level, without even counting the other requests concerning the establishment of a special parliamentary commission. But although he has just been sharply accused of freeing the Greek man—even by his colleagues at the Cassation Court—Brozi finds another way to challenge their accusations and the decision they made: “Only an acquittal is the justice this Greek citizen deserves,” Brozi insists, convinced that his actions were lawful, “not returning the case file to the Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation.” In saying this, the Chairman of the Court of Cassation acknowledges that he himself has just requested that the case be referred for review to the Cassation Plenum. As for Kalafatos’s departure from Albania, Brozi makes another accusation: “The Greek citizen’s passport had been blocked by the law-enforcement authorities. It was these authorities who then returned his passport to him, since he left for Greece from Rinas Airport.” (Ed. La./Ar. Me.) The Court of Cassation building (photo: H.Pustina)

According to Mediu, “there is a tendency to implicate the party in this case” In the “Telekom case” TIRANA - The Republicans are determined to defend Fatos Bitincka, their man who has been accused by the Prosecutor’s Office in what has come to be called the “Telekom scandal.” Following the party spokesperson’s official statement, yesterday it was their deputy chairman, Fatmir Mediu, who again responded forcefully to the accusations against Bitincka. “We defended Bitincka after examining the case documentation and consulting criminal-law specialists,” Mediu told Gazeta Shqiptare. “On the basis of these two steps, the first charge—that of abuse of office—appears to us to be entirely unfounded. As for the second, forgery of documents, it was also challenged by Prime Minister Meksi himself in his letter to the Prosecutor’s Office. In my view, when the tender was cancelled, Bitincka acted on the basis of the unanimous opinion of the group of specialists in his ministry.” Yesterday’s party statement used the term “sacrificial victim of the political struggle.” What exactly do you mean by this? “It is quite clear,” Mediu replies. “Since the charges are based on such an unstable foundation, we have every reason to think that there is an attempt to implicate our party in this case as well. We are in favor of a vigorous fight against corruption, and our latest congress reaffirmed this, but it must be conducted on the basis of proven charges, not in this way, by damaging an individual’s reputation.” (fa.bax.)

Selami on the Socialist committees TIRANA - “A Socialist shadow government? It seems normal to me for them to act this way; these are their internal matters. Who knows, perhaps we too might have acted this way if we were in that position.” This was the first official reaction by the Democratic leader, Eduart Selami, to the organization of new committees in the camp of their main rivals. The night before last, the DP leadership continued its meeting, which had begun on Saturday evening, until late. Privatization and organizational matters within the party were the two main topics. “We aim for the organization to reach even the party’s smallest sectors,” Selami said—but “we will decide on this specifically at the national [meeting/congress?] on January 27.” (f.b.)

All the predictions for Aries... TIRANA - Starting today, Gazeta Shqiptare will publish a special page every day devoted to predictions for 1995. Experts predict for every zodiac sign what the new year has in store in the areas of love, money, health, and work. Some consider horoscopes just a game, but many others believe in them, so it is worth taking a look, if only out of curiosity. The symbols of each zodiac sign have been neatly drawn for Gazeta Shqiptare by a young and talented Italian artist, Cosimo Giuliano, making them unique.

“We are concerned about the independence of the Judiciary” TIRANA - The Judges’ Association of Albania has also come out in favor of Brozi. The Panel, Bardha Selenica, has stated publicly, Brozi says, but [it] is also a steadfast and courageous example. As for the request addressed by the Prosecutor General’s Office to Parliament to lift his immunity: “We consider the way this was handled to be unfair,” stated Petrit Plloqi, President of the Judges’ Association. The Brozi case was examined by the Association in the context of strengthening the role and genuine independence of the judicial branch in Albania. Several cases were reported in which disciplinary measures had been taken against judges by following incorrect procedural practices. “These actions,” the statement says, “directly undermine the independence of the judicial branch and create uncertainty in the administration of justice by the Court. We appeal to public opinion to stand firm, because achieving genuine independence for the judicial branch...” the statement concludes. Having been sharply accused of freeing the group—even by his colleagues, who are under investigation—Brozi finds another way to challenge those accusations and his decision. “Only acquittal is [?]”. (Ed.La./Ar.Me.) Both of these decisions were made public yesterday, and the final one was accompanied by a written comment from Brozi himself, in which he reconfirms the position he expressed a day earlier in Gazeta Shqiptare: “Since the judicial decision of the Court of Cassation states that the decision of the Tirana court and the Court of Appeal is overturned, then the arrest imposed by the court and the Prosecutor’s Office in the courtroom also falls with the final decision. If the defendant were not released, what legal basis would there be for keeping him in prison any longer?” Brozi concludes his statement. For Gazeta Shqiptare, the Chairman of the Court of Cassation—one day after he had been attacked on television by Saraçi himself—has been completely unclear for several days. The differences between the decisions as drafted consist of those paragraphs in which the Chairwoman of the Trial Panel had listed a series of facts which, according to her, constituted serious violations of legal procedures during the detention and investigation of the Greek earthquake. “This, naturally, cannot be a coincidence,” Brozi continues, “but was undoubtedly done with a specific aim. The changes can also be explained by the fact that the prosecutor later withdrew the case file without waiting for it to be signed by all three members of the judicial panel, thereby committing a legal violation.”

Suspected in Tirana, kills himself in Greece “Spoti Apostolis” has killed himself at his stables in Greece.” This is the latest confirmation—received by the Albanian Ministry of the Interior from Interpol and the Greek police authorities. It concerns precisely the person whom Albanian investigators had accused of murdering his compatriot, Qazim Dushdhi, an incident that took place in the Albanian capital in June ’94. More victims from Lake Shkodra, from Montenegro The bodies of four Albanian citizens who drowned in Lake Shkodra in November ’94 have been returned to the Montenegrin authorities. All were from the village of Guri i Zi, in the municipality of Gruemirë, in Malësia e Madhe: Arben Demaj and Xheladin Kur[i?], 24, Leshi Cur[i?], 43, and Dedaj Qazim, 44. This tragedy—which occurred before the one in December ’94, when 10 other people lost their lives—is now being investigated on both sides of the border.

A 28-year-old woman is killed by her colleague The 28-year-old is killed by her colleague VLORË — “She insulted me, called me a Ballist, and I hit her,” she confessed to the police just a few hours after committing a murder. The victim, 38-year-old M. D., struck her colleague M. S., 28, leaving her dead at the scene. M. S. died from a powerful blow to the head with the crowbar wielded by M. D. The cause was a fierce political quarrel between the two women. It seems that the time when politics and heated discussions about it cause deaths has still not passed. The tragic incident took place on the premises of the Refrigerator Enterprise in Vlorë, where both women worked. A simple discussion about politics apparently turned into a bitter argument between the two women, until M. D. hit her colleague M. S. on the head with a crowbar, over a truck. After this, within 24 hours, at the police station that evening, she stated in response to the police experts’ first questions: “I killed her because she called me a Ballist.” (St. Ma.)

Payment problems LEZHË — Classes have not started regularly at the school on the island of Lezhë. For two days, the teaching staff—about 50 people—at this school have been on strike. According to them, the strike was announced as early as December 22. The teachers are protesting because some of them have not been paid regularly. In addition to their salaries, the teachers complain that they have not regularly received compensation for various expenses, such as electricity or professional training. According to information from Lezhë, the striking teachers have already been in contact with union representatives and the Ministry. (rr.a.)

The girl dies after being hit in the head BERAT — A child falls victim to a stray bullet. A pistol shot fired on Monday in Berat hit the girl J. H., ferri, causing her immediate death. The mysterious shot—the path taken by the fatal bullet is still unknown—struck the little girl directly in the head, extinguishing every hope for her. Another tragedy occurred while the little girl was leaning out of the window of her apartment on the first floor, in the “Dorika Kastrioti” neighborhood. The child, who apparently was watching television, had opened the window beside which the antenna was located. Just as she was moving it to adjust it, the fatal shot came: the girl immediately fell to the floor. Relatives who were in the room at that moment rushed to the lifeless body of the little girl. Only then did they see, horrified, that the child had been hit by a bullet. So far, the forensic examinations by the law-enforcement authorities—who were immediately informed of the incident—have not yet been able to determine where the fatal bullet came from. Ha. Ta.

He had bought it from a compatriot TIRANË — (Six months) in prison for Chinese citizen Wei Wen. Chinese citizen Wen, 22, came to Albania from Zhejiang province. This is the decision of the capital’s court, which found Chinese national Wei guilty of “illegal border crossing” and using forged stamps; he had been arrested on July 26, ’94. Chinese national Wei now has only a few more days left in Tirana Prison. According to the accused himself, this story began far from Albania, when another Chinese man named Ma provided him with the “Albanian visa,” which eventually ended up in his hands. (e.l)

PESHKOPI — Mysterious assassination attempt in Peshkopi. — Mysterious assassination attempt in Peshkopi. A gunshot killed the driver of the Tirana–Peshkopi bus route a few days ago. Viktor Hoj, 30, from Milot—the father of two minor children—was shot suddenly by a person whose identity remains unknown. The incident took place in the middle of the city, at the bus station for buses arriving from the capital. As he stopped to let the passengers get off, a shot was heard from one of the cars—the fatal crack: the bullet was aimed accurately, causing Hoj’s swift death. The person who shot him quickly fled, and none of those present was able to identify him. The motives that drove the killer to commit this crime also remain a mystery so far. Ir. Ra.

TIRANË — A protest with gas masks. This was the form chosen by 30 street vendors from the “Perla” Environmental Club, in an initiative “for nature.” The protest—held outside the Ministry of Health and Environmental Protection—aimed to raise public awareness of Albania’s many unresolved environmental problems. Under the slogans “Stop pollution” and “Every such thing is with ...”, the young environmentalists appealed both to the authorities and to ordinary people, in the sand, about the danger facing the environment every day and the action that should be taken. (p.ne.) (photo: F. Bilani)

Zef Brozi

Athens rejects Clinton’s call for dialogue The full text of the interview ON PAGE 2 Embargo with Montenegro? Exception for sport A high-level delegation in Albania ON PAGE 3

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