When will the Prosecutor General’s Office begin the “Clean Hands” operation in Albania, too? Page 3

When will the question be answered: which MPs or ministers are hiding behind the speedboat smugglers, contrabandists and other illegal traffickers? Even an Albanian whose reason has remained untouched by all sorts of astonishing things happening in this country finds it difficult to reflect on this question. Not because we are dealing with a bold question. It is already accepted that someone, or an entire band of people with immunity several times greater than the natural immunity enjoyed by all Albanians, makes it possible for some speedboat smugglers or contrabandists to empty out the [shops?]. Discussions about whether MPs, government officials or other representatives of this category are involved in various crimes, mainly economic ones, have long since come to an end. Everyone knows this now. We are no longer dealing with an opinion, a half-truth built on various interests. It is a complete, visible truth. What is more, it is supported by authentic voices such as that of the Minister of Public Order. “MPs stand behind the speedboat smugglers in Vlora,” he declared some time ago. Not only the current minister but also his predecessors have often publicly denounced MPs’ interventions in such matters and worse. It is clear that these MPs represent everyone except the people. When an ordinary Albanian thinks through this whole story, perhaps in the end he remembers that MPs and ministers have not ruled by divine right for a long time. And in this vein, it occurs to you that although they have immunity, they cannot do whatever they want without a hair being harmed. At this point you remember that the justice authorities exist. In fact, the justice authorities have buildings, and not small ones, so they are conspicuous. What is not apparent is their evident willingness to fight when it comes to investigating MPs and politicians. The Minister of Public Order admits that people with immunity are involved in the trafficking that has cost thousands of Albanians their lives, and there is not a single investigation. Nor do those MPs or ministers who are genuinely honest react. But perhaps they are ignorant. A simple assumption leads to the conclusion that very few MPs must have been angered by this statement. Some time ago, Gramoz Ruçi tried to restore the dignity befitting an MP. He proposed that the prosecution should not take immunity into account at all when there are suspicions of serious crimes, mainly economic ones. At the time, hardly anyone paid attention to this proposal. Its opponents recalled that immunity was an old institution. In other words, this is about upholding the Constitution. There would be nothing wrong with that if justice were not lost in the process of preserving constitutionality. Undoubtedly, all Albanians want the criminals and the politicians responsible for them to be punished. Everyone is against immunity when it becomes an obstacle to the justice authorities.

VLORA—Two people were killed and one wounded in the evening hours in the city of Vlora. The incident was confirmed by Sokol Koçiu, director of the prefecture’s police directorate, who clarified the circumstances. At around 7:00 p.m., near the Rice Market, three people inside a stopped car were shot with automatic weapons by a person in a moving van. As a result, the citizens Roland “Bica,” 35, and another person nicknamed “Laj,” whose name has not yet been confirmed, were killed, while 17-year-old A. Shega was wounded. Their identities were provided by the district hospital. Meanwhile, the first investigation results have arrived, identifying revenge as the cause of the incident. The case concerns a murder that took place around two years ago, whose protagonists have now returned to the opposite side of the scene to exact revenge. However, the investigation team that went to the scene immediately had still not returned to the police premises by the late evening hours.

The Democrats are not coordinating with one another page 5

Albanian Prime Minister Majko met with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jozefina Topalli. Albanian Prime Minister Majko met with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jozefina Topalli, who was accompanied by MP Sparak Ngjela. Topalli handed over the draft law “On the Investigation of the Murder of MP Azem Hajdari, Leader of the December Anti-Communist Movement.” Prime Minister Majko, who was accompanied by Zamira Çaka, chair of the Laws Committee, and the newly appointed Minister of Information, promised that the draft law formally submitted by the DP would be reviewed by the prime minister’s staff and then by Parliament. The Democratic deputy speaker cleverly reminded the Socialist prime minister that this was part of the agreement reached at the first Majko-Berisha meeting. After the meeting, the deputy speaker of Parliament told “Koha Jonë” that approval of this draft law, which had been prepared by well-known experts, was part of the Berisha-Majko agreement, so there was no reason for the Socialists to delay it. Asked whether the DP would return to Parliament on the day the draft law was considered, the deputy speaker said: “There is no connection between the commitment of the Majko government’s leaders to submit the draft law to Parliament and the presence of the DP.” Asked who would defend the draft law, Topalli stressed that MP Ngjela had shown his willingness to defend it. In response to a question about the earlier statement by British Ambassador Stefen Nash, she said: “I know that Berisha has never regarded the International Community’s request as unreasonable. He has been understanding of this request, but the decision of the National Council is for a definitive split, and only the DP Congress can change that.”

Caricature by Medi Belortaja

The Minister of Public Order reiterates: Speedboat smugglers have the backing of MPs and politicians