The Plenum of the Court of Cassation will decide on the request for “acquittal” Brozi: “There is no reason for the case file not to be reviewed”. At 9:00 the judicial panel returns to the initial sentences. The Prosecutor of the Republic will be in the courtroom Nano returns to court once again, but today to seek acquittal. At precisely 9:00, the file of the imprisoned socialist leader will be on the table of the Plenum of the Court of Cassation, made up of 11 Albanian chief judges. The Prosecutor of the Republic, Alush Dragoshi, will be there with them, as will the lawyers Sarxhaku and Turana. The request for protection of legality—filed by Nano and accepted by Brozi—will be brought today to the courtroom on the third floor of the Court of Cassation, while the robed officials, among the four cases, have confirmed that they will review first the file of the socialist leader, which for days has also been the subject of study at the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic. On page 3

TEPELENE - The Director of Tepelena Prison, Asaf Shehu, has been relieved of his duties. The day before yesterday, senior officials of the General Prison Administration officially informed the prison in Bënçë—the Albanian high-security prison—of Shehu’s replacement by Xhafer Xhaxhaj, a former employee of the Fier Police Commissariat. On page 3

The President to the judges: The Minister is fueling division TIRANE - Repeated attacks on the image of Albanian justice. This time, however, it is the Court of Cassation that is responding sharply to the Minister of Justice, who only a day earlier had denounced Brozi for blocking the Enforcement Office. Yesterday—while the head of the Court of Cassation publicly responded to Frashëri’s accusations—another Cassation judge, who is also President of the Association of Judges of Albania, attacked the Minister of Justice. On page 5 “The Albanian authorities told me: heroin destined for Italy and coming from Eastern countries also passes through Albania, but they need help to fight this illegal trafficking. Help that we have the experience to provide.” On page 3 The headquarters of the Ministry of Justice President of the Court of Cassation (photo: H. Pustina)

Lushnjë, Ballsh LUSHNJE - Children are once again victims of accidents. In two days, two little ones have been killed by speeding vehicles, which have now become the main protagonists of the daily news reports. A 10-year-old girl was killed by a motorcycle in the center of the town of Ballsh, while on Monday a 5-year-old boy ended up beneath the wheels of a truck on the roads of his village. Both drivers have been detained, while the little ones have been torn from life before they had even had a chance to live it. The little boy from Gërmenjëcë in Lushnjë has been the latest victim of vehicles. The incident happened on Monday afternoon, when 5-year-old Alban Çoku was caught beneath the wheels of an “Ifa”. The child was on the roads of his village when the huge truck took his life. Little Çoku was crushed to death. Even the doctors at the hospital where he was rushed were unable to save him: his severe injuries took his life within moments. The driver of the “Ifa”, I. Koci, ended up at the Police Commissariat. The police placed him under detention. The same scene had taken place just one day earlier in Ballsh. This time, another child, who had been peacefully playing in the middle of the road. This is yet another incident in the painful daily lives of children in Albania. A 10-year-old girl, Nertila Shehu, was killed by the mad rush of a motorcycle. A young man, 29-year-old S. Mustafa, was responsible for the tragedy that shook the town. Riding his “Jawa” motorcycle, he struck the girl too. The speed was high, and the impact left Shehu completely mangled. The little girl fell to the ground, crushed and with no hope of survival. Mustafa ended up in Police custody.

Yesterday’s visit

Invited by the PD On page 3

Work on the network TIRANE - No need to worry about power cuts in Tirana. A notice distributed yesterday by the Electric Utility clarified that the interruption of the electricity supply—

TIRANA - No need to worry about power cuts in Tirana. TIRANA - notice circulated yesterday by the Electric Utility explained that the power outages over the past two days in the capital and in Durrës were caused by maintenance work being carried out at one of the 220-kilovolt substations supplying the grid. Tomorrow will be the last day on which the power supply will be interrupted again. Yesterday, the Electric Utility itself dispelled all fears, explaining that the outage had been scheduled. On page 3

The Municipality is on the list too... On page 5

The dossier case TIRANA - The Constitutional Court has rejected Skënder Gjinushi’s statement of claim. The Social Democratic leader had accused the head of state himself of “inaction and silence in the face of the blackmail and manipulation by the newspaper ‘RD’”. He had been accused in the press of being “a spy for the former State Security service”. Chief Justice Rustem Gjata said yesterday that “the matter does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court and that it considers the PSD’s accusations to be unfounded under constitutional law”. On page 3

DURRËS - A young boy, a victim of the sea. - A young boy, a victim of the sea. The body of a 16-year-old was found on Monday in the waters off Currila beach, floating lifeless on the surface of the sea. The body—which had still not been identified as of yesterday—was discovered more than 250 metres from shore and was then brought out by specialized police forces. On page 5

Old legends tell of hidden riches Korçë, a village gripped by gold fever Old legends tell of hidden riches Excavations in a cemetery to find gold Korçë, a village gripped by gold fever KORÇË - Excavations in a cemetery to find hidden gold. Gold fever has now gripped Korçë too. An entire village has been caught up in legends and tales these past few days, following signs of digging at the old cemetery of Rakickë, an area very close to the border with Greece. The holes dug in several places—the cemetery itself has not been disturbed—have stirred villagers’ memories of the story of the Napoleon gold coins hidden underground. Some are now so concerned that they have even filed a complaint about the matter with the Bilisht Court. The holes found at the old cemetery have sparked a major debate in the village. Many say that anonymous treasure hunters have already found a large chest containing valuables. Others, however, remain skeptical and still do not believe these stories. Nevertheless, in response to these legends, the villagers recount numerous stories said to attest to the existence of gold in the village. The legends date back many years, perhaps to the beginning of this century. According to stories handed down from generation to generation, a group of people from Kolonjë passed through there on their way to fetch the Turks’ stones. Rakickë was their last stop, where they decided to bury all the riches they had with them. This seemed to have been forgotten until 1988, when the arrival of a Turkish villager revived the historical memory. According to the villagers, the Turk had with him an old map of the whole area. The story of the Turkish “treasure hunter” would also have been forgotten if some strange holes had not appeared a few years ago. The holes increased day by day: “They were searching for the hidden gold,” one villager says, adding that the treasure hunters eventually discovered something. The latest excavations at the old cemetery of Rakickë have reignited gold fever. The village now seems caught up in a whirl of fantasies and dreams of becoming rich in a single day. The chests of valuables and the shudders tell of a genuine element that confirms the beliefs. Elsa Koçiu

Tiziana Parenti

The headquarters of the Ministry of Justice

On page 3 Opinions Polish dissident appeals for tolerance On page 5