The Information Service facing a new scandal. Those recruited received 7 million dollars The dollars were paid during 1995–96. Only a small circle of people knew about this funding. The money was used to pay many people who were asked for various information unrelated to their routine work, or to provide misleading guidance in particular cases. The origin of the money used by 5 people to build luxurious villas is being verified KLOSI: “I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING” TIRANA - SHIK with an Islamist network of agents? Fatos Klosi has denied both reports of alleged Islamist involvement in the National Intelligence Service and the reverse. “We are not aware of any such fact,” said the purported first Albanian, who nevertheless was unable to deny the personal benefits enjoyed by the former heads of the department he now leads. “There may have been personal benefits through various channels,” he said, offering no further details about the mysteries of the department he heads. To Klosi, it seems that an entire structure of hypotheses and conjectures has also been built around SHIK, which, while fanciful, must also be treated cautiously and substantiated. TIRANA - Did SHIK officers work for an Islamist intelligence network? This is the question that has been circulating for days in the senior offices of the Albanian secret service, following the gathering of some compromising information within the agency. Millions of dollars are believed to have arrived from a powerful Arab country, for the account of special SHIK structures, with the aim of recruiting them and having them work for foreign interests. Reliable sources said yesterday that the sum provided by the powerful Islamic country amounted to as much as 7 million dollars. This money was used to “buy” senior officers, who paid the subordinate intelligence structures, without their knowledge, for specific information. This took place intermittently during 1995–1996. The head of the National Intelligence Service, Fatos Klosi, says: “Such funding may have existed, but at a personal level. Not a single lek from such sources was deposited in SHIK’s coffers.” On page 5

It is one of the best-known TIRANA - A network of mafia-linked businessmen in Albania has been exposed. A company with half Albanian and half foreign capital is engaged in arms trafficking and money laundering. The General Prosecutor’s Office has received highly secret information about the company’s activities, which will be added to the case file opened by Italian anti-mafia prosecutors. According to sources, the company is based in Tirana and is very well known in Albania’s mafia-linked business circles. Anti-mafia prosecutors have taken a direct interest in the matter. The phantom company has been operating in Albania for some time, but only recently has it become the focus of investigations. The first signal came from Italian anti-mafia prosecutors, who appear to have made considerable progress in this direction. During the Italian prosecutors’ most recent visit, investigations were conducted at the Italo-Albanian Bank, specifically concerning this company. On page 12

An unexpected request from the Democratic Party With Polla. The Members of the European Parliament An unexpected request from the Democratic Party “EC, suspend Albania” With Polla. The Members of the European Parliament

TIRANA - Berisha under Bezhani’s scrutiny? Yesterday, the head of the vetting commission agreed to open Berisha’s file, but only if there is a written request from the Parliament’s leadership. The previous day, a verbal request had reached his office from Gjinushi, to also vet the former president of the country. But this was not enough for the lawyer Bezhani, who insisted on an official request before starting work. On page 3

An unexpected request from the Democratic Party With Pollo, the Members of the European Parliament TIRANA - The Parliament’s dispute with the Constitutional Court reaches Europe. The appeal comes from Strasbourg, in a motion bearing the signature of Genc Pollo and several Members of the European Parliament. The motion has not been discussed in the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE, but further developments are expected in the conflict between Parliament and the Constitutional Court. The motion has called the rotation at Albania’s Constitutional Court an irresponsible political act. One of the motion’s recommendations refers to a proposal to suspend Albania from the CoE if the current members of the Constitutional Court are suspended. It seems that Berisha’s threat to punish the judiciary has been taken up by Pollo, who is conducting intensive pro-opposition activity in Europe. On page 2 CoE headquarters

TIRANA - The Prosecutor’s Office is seeking parliament’s help to fight crime. In a report to the Committee on Public Order and the SHIK, Chief Prosecutor Rakipi has requested guarantees and legislative support for his prosecution service. While the head of the Parliamentary Committee has promised renewed support in this area, the Prosecutor General has at the same time also been asked to carry out reform and purge the Prosecutor’s Office of corrupt officials. The Chief Prosecutor has complained that greater effectiveness in the fight against crime is needed, but the parliamentary instruction has been to withhold equal rights. The Parliamentary Committee has also questioned the Prosecutor’s Office about its lack of close cooperation with the police and the courts. On page 3

Weather-related objections to the dress code Teachers once again badly dressed Weather-related objections to the dress code Serious? Maybe another time Teachers once again badly dressed TIRANA - The new rules on the appearance of administration officials will not be applied at the Ministry of Education. Women will continue to walk around the offices wearing prohibited clothing such as miniskirts or trousers, while male employees will continue to dress as best they can. It is the weather conditions that will cause the revolution in dress at the country’s highest institutions to arrive late at the Ministry of Education. On the right-hand side of the first-floor corridor, as soon as you enter, it is impossible not to notice an exposed electrical cable, blackened by soot, like silent evidence of the fierce battle between the Ministry’s offices and the winter cold. “We cannot avoid wearing trousers to work when there is practically no heating here,” says an employee of the Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, she lets it be understood that even in summer she cannot avoid wearing a shorter-than-usual skirt because of the heat, for which no remedy has been found either in offices that are cold in winter and hot in summer. Male officials also have their reservations about the rule, which some say is intended only for the Prime Minister’s Office and the Presidency. In any case, if a Minister does not set foot in the highest institutions, then it is pointless to demand higher standards of conduct from their employees—not even in the way they dress. s.sh

TIRANA - Albania is being affected by anthrax infection. According to data from the Veterinary Research Institute, the livestock disease that infects humans is declared to be the most widespread. Official data draw attention, just days after the intervention of the Gjirokastra Court, to the mass deaths of livestock for reasons that have not been disclosed to the public. The number of districts declared anthrax-infection hotspots in Albania has reached 28, leaving only 18 percent of the territory outside the investigation. According to specialists, there is a strong likelihood that even this 18 percent is not unaffected, since the exclusion of the districts covering this area is due to a lack of information. On page 8

EXPLOSION IN SARANDA On page 7

THE “DELOITTE & TOUCHE” VERDICT TIRANA - All five pyramid companies that have undergone the administration process must be liquidated. According to the Italian daily “Corriere della Sera”, the chief administrator of “Deloitte & Touche”, Robert Camero-n Ellis, states in the final report he signed for the Albanian Government that all five companies—“Çenaj”, “Kamberi”, “VEFA”, “M. Leka” and “Silva”—are bankrupt, since they do not even have sufficient assets to cover their liabilities, and must be liquidated as soon as possible, but with due care so as not to cause panic among the public. On page 9 VEFA headquarters

TIRANA On page 9

730 PEOPLE WANTED On page 6

“A league with 8–10 teams would be better” Tirana holds an optional training session. The coaches do not show up after the fans’ protests “A league with 8–10 teams would be better” Tartari: Football should be privatized quickly Tirana holds an optional training session. The coaches do not show up after the fans’ protests On page 11