Tinny-speaking MPs such as Sabit Brokaj, Gramoz Ruçi, Kastriot Islami, who take the side of gang leaders like Fatos Nano, must clarify their position before justice. - This BASTARD RAG can have shared the spoils with the boss or has other debts to pay to him or to his predecessors on the throne of crime and corruption ECHO OF THE ITALIAN PRESS ON THE CORRUPTION OF THE FIRM "LEVANTE CO" IN COLLABORATION WITH SOCIAL-COMMUNIST OFFICIALS LINKED TO ITALIAN AID FOR ALBANIA Why isn’t Rama shaken? What is the real reason that he has only left the glitzy appearance of a timid clientele tied to him in corruption [...] [?] From one side, even Ramiz Alia and the communist movement, as a man who as soon as they were noticed in the country had connections with other representatives of the Italian socialist government in several corrupt affairs of 1991 and 1992. Immediately after arriving in Albania in March 1991 he began his first actions, in order to secure the greatest possible benefits, and this struggle is borne by the Albanian masses. Since the last Italian government, formed by socialists and Christian democrats, has lost much of its credibility among the broad mass of the Albanian people, Nano found himself forced to make a sudden move to save himself and his corrupt clan as well. Thus he concocted the formula of a "Voice of America", hiding the transmitter, and began to promote it within a rather specific Albanian audience. With this he tried to erase his close ties with the 9000-dollar group, which worked to become as faint as possible in the memory of the Albanian people. Nevertheless, the country’s democratization process and the latest changes in the leadership of the Socialist Party cannot forget this extremely difficult phase for Albania. Before the second donors’ conference opened in Tirana, Nano’s scandal with the Italians became even clearer. In Albania, certain truths that one had once regarded with skepticism seem to be being confirmed. The last few years have made us believe that not only the old fox of Albanian politics, Ramiz Alia, but also his successor Fatos Nano, are trying at any cost to tarnish as much as possible the right-wing forces, which came to power by the plebiscitary vote of a people tired and fed up with a 50-year rule of the criminal communist regime. Although politics has spoken and written a great deal about the affairs, scandals and trafficking of the left-wing governments, led until recently by Nano, no exact figures have ever been given. This has caused no small amount of confusion and doubt, so much so that a not insignificant part of Albanians have begun to think that the public is being informed mostly through insinuations and guesses. One of these doubts has also been the Italian scandal, which is now becoming quite clear. According to a document that arrived a few days ago at our newspaper’s editorial office, from the Italian company “Levante Co”, it is said that as early as June 1992 it entered into relations of corrupt exchanges with senior Albanian government officials. At least officially, this company operated in Albania as an agent of “Siper Centro Sud”, interested in investing in Albania’s telecommunications infrastructure. It even expressed interest in taking part in other financings as well. Put more simply, “Levante Co” was ready to pay bribes to senior Albanian officials in order to win favors or even a lucrative monopoly, which included the expansion of an Albanian network for electronic and telephone services. In this document, which we have in hand, this entire attempt to enter Albania is presented so cynically that one can observe not only a handful of swindlers and adventurers, but also the dark side of Tirana’s political scene. The one trying to close this scandal is none other than Fatos Nano, who apparently leaves no means unused to escape justice. In this material, dated 6 May 1993 and addressed to President Berisha, it says: “Dear sirs, we inform you that the company “Levante Co” was involved in significant corrupt activities in Albania during 1991 and 1992, in cooperation with officials of the Albanian government and high-ranking elements of the Socialist Party. These activities aimed at securing contracts and influencing the distribution of Italian aid for Albania.” It goes on to say that the beneficiaries of these schemes were people linked to the old communist structures. The document emphasizes that there is a direct link to Nano with representatives of the Italian government and suspicious businessmen. What stands out is that names such as Sabit Brokaj, Gramoz Ruçi and Kastriot Islami are mentioned as political defenders of this clique. If this is true, then the Albanian justice system must act with full force. There is no reason for ordinary thieves and usurpers of national property to enjoy moral or political immunity. Nor can it be acceptable for elected deputies to side with corrupt gangs simply because they are tied to party leaders or to the heirs of the old regime. This country needs cleansing and punishment. This is an important test for Albania’s new institutions.