Last night at 23:21 Parliament refused to lift immunity for the President of the Court of Cassation Secret ballot saves Brozi First comment after victory: “Down with intrigues” TIRANA - Brozi persuaded Parliament and won. The deputies’ secret ballot, which lasted only four minutes, ultimately saved the President of the Court of Cassation, who had been on the verge of having his immunity lifted, with only four votes in favor. On the electronic board, at 23:21 last night, 53 votes were recorded against lifting immunity and 49 in favor. Brozi himself, waiting for the result half-risen from the chair where he was sitting, let out a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, in the gallery, his fiancée jumped up, clapping her hands. And so did everyone with her, including deputies: they applauded the triumph of the President of the Court of Cassation and expressed their faith in Justice. “With a free vote, Brozi has won and will always win. Down with dictatorship and intrigues,” were the few words with which Brozi commented on Parliament’s position, just minutes after the decision. He has scheduled a press conference for this morning. Last night’s decision overturned the position of the Democratic Party’s Parliamentary Group—the party that had promised Brozi the number-one post in Albanian justice in 1992 and had openly come out in favor of the Prosecutor’s request to lift the President of the Court of Cassation’s immunity. “No immunity can stand against the law,” was the firm view expressed by the DP representative shortly before voting began, although some deputies within the group also objected. The DP proposal was in stark contrast with those of all the other parliamentary groups, which had lined up in favor of the President of the Court of Cassation. “Such a measure would mean placing the judiciary under the complete control of politics,” was the comment by the socialist Fethi Abdiu. But the votes of the SP and the other opposition parties alone would not have saved Brozi. Parliament’s decision came after an entire day of lengthy discussions. They had begun in the morning session, which, following debate and the opposition deputies’ insistence, had decided to hear the President of the Court of Cassation himself before making a final decision. Brozi began his defense before the parliamentarians. In a calm, confident tone, he argued his innocence for about 30 minutes without criticizing or accusing anyone. First, he gave an account of his career in the number-one post in Albanian justice. Then, for another 20 minutes or so, he continued with his legal defense against the accusations made by the Prosecutor’s Office concerning the release of the Greek citizen Kallafatos. The only question Brozi put to the deputies was: “All right, I released him, but why did the Prosecutor’s Office let him leave?” Armand Mero Edmond Laci

Pjetër Arbnori

Yesterday in Parliament, Brozi with PS deputy Z.eqo (photo: G.Xhengo)

Genc Ruli (photo: H.Pustina)

TIRANA - Today it is Ruli and Uka’s turn to defend their position before the Mandates Commission. The two DP deputies, accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of “abuse of office” in the matter of their road, will answer today to the commission headed by Fehmi Abdiu about what they know concerning this scandal, which has occupied the front pages of newspapers in recent times. It was Abdiu himself who, on behalf of the commission, asked the Presidium of the People’s Assembly to have the Prosecutor General, Alush Dragoshi, appear to provide explanations about the case. Dragoshi spoke at length about the commission’s purchase; no details of its contents have emerged because the secrecy of the investigation is being protected, and the case file is still open. Both accused deputies have consistently declared themselves innocent, saying that they acted in accordance with the law and their powers.

Insurance contributions to begin on March 1 Health tax arrives It will be higher for those employed in the private sector TIRANA - A tax has arrived for healthcare, too. Starting March 1, everyone will have to pay from their monthly salary for health insurance, which is being introduced in Albania for the first time. The total amount deducted will vary according to the sector in which a person is employed. Those still registered on the state budget will be in the most favorable position: they will pay no more than 1.7 percent of their monthly salary. The situation is different for those working in the private sector. Health insurance will cost them 7 percent of the average minimum wage—it is expected to be 3,000 lekë—earned in this sector. The introduction of this type of insurance is expected to be a true revolution in Albanian healthcare and is considered a major step toward its future. The revenue collected will cover hospital expenses, and hospitals will continue to treat all citizens free of charge, without any payment. Medicines needed by patients will likewise be provided free of charge in hospitals. The management of the funds collected through health insurance will be handled by a special institution. Meanwhile, the state will continue to be one of the main contributors to this fund and will cover a very large share of healthcare expenses through subsidies.

More than 138 million and 745 thousand lekë in fines, seized goods and the value of uninsured goods. This is what the various violations of the law, verified and penalized by Financial Police inspectors during 1994, have cost traders and manufacturers. The list of violations ranges from price manipulation and failure to comply with tariffs, standards and quality requirements to trading in expired medicines or conducting medical activities without a permit. ANDREA STEFANI ON PAGE 3

Interpol seeks witnesses ELBASAN — “Had he taken bribes and been investigated, or is he innocent?” This was the subject of a trial that concluded on Tuesday at the Elbasan Court. Despite the difficulties with witness testimony procedures, the court reached its decision. Ymer Graceni, an investigator at the Elbasan Police Commissariat, was found guilty. The proceedings had begun in August of last year. The investigation into Graceni began in October ’93, when two people testified against him, alleging that he had taken a 100,000 lekë bribe to release a detainee. The initial investigations were conducted by the district Prosecutor’s Office. Following a protest by Graceni’s defense over irregularities in the investigation by that Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation was restarted from the beginning, with the General Prosecutor’s Office asked to take testimony. This is where the compromising bribery investigation against the police investigator began. The witnesses, transferred from the investigative office to the prosecutor’s office, denied the truth of their original testimony given at the Elbasan Investigative Office, claiming it had been extracted by force. After the statements of relatives of the person whose case Graceni was investigating, the Elbasan Prosecutor’s Office opened criminal proceedings for false testimony. Even after the lengthy trial, it remained unclear whether the investigator had taken bribes or not. The people who might perhaps have clarified everything—now themselves accused—left Albania immediately after the district Prosecutor’s Office decided to initiate criminal proceedings against them, and are now also wanted by Interpol. Nevertheless, the court found Graceni guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison. Mentor Kikia

Berat Municipality: “We can’t” BERAT — Illegal construction in Berat has mushroomed amid bureaucratic red tape. The lack of an agency to enforce the measures adopted by the Municipality has left all its decisions on hold. Thus, although the Urban Planning Department and the Territorial Adjustment Council ordered the demolition of 55 illegal homes—and 210 unauthorized constructions had been recorded in Berat by the end of 1994—they are all still standing just as before. “There is no special agency to enforce our decisions,” complain officials at the city Municipality. The same situation applies to the fines: of the 69 imposed, not one has been collected. The paralysis at the Municipality has suited city residents, who continue building without obtaining the relevant permits and licences. In Region No. 1 alone, 50 of 100 such construction cases have been suspended. While unauthorized homes keep springing up, a queue is forming of people seeking plots of land for housing. So far, there have been 180 applications, while the Municipality is powerless to find a solution: “there are no vacant areas.” Ha.Ta.

Aid from the EC TIRANA — The 15 million ECU grant awarded to Albania by the EC a short time ago will be used by the Bank of Albania to balance payments and, in particular, to increase its reserves. This was announced following a meeting between Pierre Ewenczyk, head of the European Commission mission—who came to Albania to negotiate the terms for disbursing the aid—and Prime Minister Meksi. The sum of 15 million ECU is the first instalment of the 35 million ECU in aid granted to Albania by the EC to balance payments. But more than for its importance to Albania’s depleted finances, this aid became notorious because its disbursement was blocked for several months by representatives of Greece in ECOFIN and other EC forums.

TIRANA — The “crackdown” on unlicensed kiosks is beginning. The State Control Service and the Financial Police have sent their representatives to Tirana Municipality to carry out a detailed inspection of every kiosk. The reason for this sweeping inspection, which began first at the Urban Planning Department and the Territorial Adjustment Council, is the construction without permits of thousands of kiosks that have disrupted the capital’s urban plan. The operation will continue for about 15 days, and the owners of all these structures will be asked to present their licences, contracts and every other document. Meanwhile, the figures show that of the roughly 3,000 kiosks in the capital, permits have been issued by the Municipality for only 550. Ar. Ça.

TIRANA—The murderers end up in prison. They are the very people who made 23-year-old Valerik Koci[b?]elli their victim on the evening of January 13 this year, near Rruga e Elbasanit in the capital. —The murderers end up in prison. They are the very people who made 23-year-old Valerik Koci[b?]elli their victim on the evening of January 13 this year, near Rruga e Elbasanit in the capital. They are called Altin Lame, 18, and Ermal Sekser, 17, and are now—according to reports from the Ministry of the Interior—accused of being the perpetrators of the serious crime. According to the same source, a “Zastava” pistol without a permit was also found on the two detainees, while the bullets that took young Koci[b?]elli’s life had been fired from an automatic rifle. Since the investigations have only just begun, not only might they ultimately determine whether these people were involved in this incident, but they may perhaps also uncover the other person thought to have taken part in the crime. (p.re)

Has: Direct telephone connection with Tirana Residents of the Has district will now also be able to make direct telephone calls to Tirana. Instead of a shared exchange, a telephone exchange with channels will be put into operation, eliminating Kukës as an intermediary for calls to the capital. “6 out of 45” Lottery: here are the winning numbers A considerable sum was available to the winners of the “6 out of 45” lottery, drawn live on TV last night: 1,305,560 lekë. The winning numbers are: 3, 2, 26, 21, 38, 42 The people of Përmet honor Kadare The winners will be announced today. The 59th birthday of the writer Ismail Kadare was celebrated on the premises of the “Sami Frashëri” secondary school in Përmet. It was an afternoon devoted to him, during which students, artists and intellectuals recalled the finest moments in the career of the distinguished Albanian writer by reciting his works.

Rescued by two Albanians TIRANA - Finding work in Albania has now become a dream even for foreigners. So much so that the disappointment of achieving it can drive people of our times to despair. This is what happened to the Italian woman Giovanni from Bari, Italy, who on Tuesday morning had tried to jump from the third floor of the “Dafji” Hotel in the Albanian capital. Having been turned away by them and [?] her, after having been promised a job at one of Tirana’s restaurants at the end of January. Giovanni had been seeking to realize her career, although she was already in a rather desperate situation. At that very moment, the Italian woman had thought of ending her life, while the most famous Albanian hotel—built precisely during the Italian occupation—was about to witness its most tragic event. But fortunately for everyone, “she had been there” for only two or three minutes, when people, alarmed by the sight, alerted the hotel employees, who then broke down the door of the room where the Italian Giovanna was. A life was saved thanks to the intervention of the Albanian women Britke Alban Bergenit—employees of “Dajti”—who “saw” the Italian woman’s plan. (e.l)

TIRANA—She wanted to buy something to wear, but did so by stealing someone else’s money. —She wanted to buy something to wear, but did so by stealing someone else’s money. This ultimately landed her in prison. It was 15-year-old V.K. from Tirana who was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment, accused of stealing another person’s property. The teenager V.K. had tried to steal 1,500 lek from a woman at Tirana’s market by putting her hand in the woman’s bag. Caught in the act by law-enforcement officers, she was detained and convicted of theft. During the trial at the Tirana Court, the defendant admitted her guilt.

Brozi left outside Parliament TIRANA - Brozi [text unclear] Parliament. The President of the Court of Cassation, who was expecting to take part in the discussion of his case, was not allowed into the chamber during the morning hours. “He didn’t ask me for permission—I later told the deputies,” Arbnori said, “and under the rules only deputies and ministers may enter without special permission.” Both heads of Parliament protested Brozi’s being kept outside. Arbnori himself later allowed him to come in.

Interpol seeks witnesses Berat Municipality: “We can’t” Aid from the EC 15 million ECU The hunt begins for unlicensed kiosks Tirana Two murderers

Commercial Bank Albakred shpk Free market Currency Buying Selling Buying Selling Buying Selling Dollars 93,00 95,00 94,20 94,80 94,40 94,60 Marks 60,45 61,20 61,00 61,40 61,20 61,40 Lire 57,60 58,50 57,00 58,00 57,80 58,00 Drachmas 38,00 39,10 39,10 39,30 39,15 39,25