- 9 million dollars embezzled by Levante Co — confirmed by the State Audit of Albania - The Albanian justice system has all the documents on the mechanisms of this theft, which implicate Ramiz Alia and Fatos Nano - THE MECHANISM OF THIS MONSTROUS THEFT WAS AS FOLLOWS: 1) Levante Co was appointed without a tender and in violation of the laws by R. Alia and F. Nano as the company responsible for delivering the aid. The Albanian partner of this company was Ajdin Sejdia, Nano’s personal adviser. 2) Fatos Nano excluded and removed from the process the Ministry of Foreign Trade and all other competent state bodies capable of saying “STOP” to CRIME and CORRUPTION, and deliberately avoided an official agreement for this aid. 3) The food list was changed from 5 basic items intended to relieve the hunger of the Albanian people to 15 trinkets, to mock the hungry people, deepen their hunger and make theft easier. 4) The goods were brought to Albania at prices 2–3 times higher than market prices. The former Prime Minister Nano, despite repeated warnings, ordered their delivery to continue. 5) The former mafioso and forger Prime Minister exempted Ajdin Sejdia from taxes by signing decisions that did not belong to the government, but which he declared to be government decisions. FOR ALL OF THIS, THE ALBANIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS IRREFUTABLE DOCUMENTS THAT WILL BE MADE PUBLIC THROUGH THE PRESS

-Prosecutor Gjokutaj precisely argues, on the basis of the laws, that the investigation process was proper- -Nano’s deliberate attempts to obstruct the investigation process are confirmed- -Lawyer Sanxhaku admits that Nano did not want the investigation to be carried out, thereby exposing the deception perpetrated against public opinion up to now- -A civil suit is brought against the defendants to recover the sums lost- -Foreign observers in the courtroom- -Almost 40 witnesses before the court- -Nano asks to leave the trial, thereby signing his own crime- -The arrest measure for S. Plaka is changed- The trial of the defendants Fatos Nano, former prime minister of the communist government, Sokrat Plaka, Robert Gjini and Hasan Halko began at the Tirana Court. The panel of judges, headed by the president of the Tirana Court, entered the courtroom at 9:00. The prosecution was represented by Messrs. Arben Qeleshi and Genc Gjokutaj. In accordance with procedure, the presiding judge asked the defendants to state whether they agreed with the composition of the panel. Three of the defendants briefly said that they agreed. F. Nano, although he had been asked to give a brief answer, took out his notebook, prepared himself and began writing in it. After using the same tactics up to now, he spoke as if he were a judge, saying nothing that compelled the presiding judge to seek an answer? In politics, optional forms may be used, but not in court, the judge said: are you or are you not in agreement with the panel? In his remarks, Nano claimed that he knew from the indictment when the president of the court and the prosecutor had met with the President, and that the prosecutor’s actions supported the theory he had presented. The presiding judge told him that this time Nano was “factually” mistaken and had incorrect information. Nevertheless, such arguments were beside the point, because even if such a meeting had taken place, neither the President nor Nano could have influenced the procedure. Nano said that the president of the court was outside the leadership and the chairmanship of the High Council of Justice, since this is considered an organization in which he met and was represented in judicial bodies. Even if they had discussed the Nano case before it was brought, this is entirely unsubstantiated. Nano requested Perparim Murati as his lawyer. Sanxhaku and Agim Tirana Then Mr. Bendo called the witnesses into the courtroom. There are around 40 people who will testify in this case. Among them are many Albanians, Rezi Malile, Shkelqim Çani, Muhamet Kapllan, Jorgo Meleca, Alin Ulli, etc. The presiding judge warned of the penalties witnesses would face for perjury. Then the presiding judge, Agim Bendo, again gave the defendants the floor to submit any preliminary requests they might have. The lawyers for the defendants S. Plaka, R. Gjini and H. Halko put forward more or less the same requests concerning the proceedings and changing the arrest measure for their clients. F. Nano’s lawyer, P. Sanxhaku, who spoke first, gave a chronology of what he called procedural violations, a line of argument often heard from Nano’s legal and political defense. The question was how a lawyer claiming to provide a legal defense could bring in political themes and newspaper topics. The matter went so far that Mr. Sanxhaku made himself ridiculous in the courtroom when, while presenting his requests, he said: “Do you know, Mr. Judge, the testimony, culture and intelligence of Fatos Nano, who can defeat any lawyer?” At the end of the lawyer’s remarks (which he himself had interrupted with a few comments), Mr. Bendo addressed F. Nano with the words: “No, thank you, Nano, you have capable lawyers; have you forgotten the courts you have had, where you could have made yourself a lawyer?” There was nothing to add to such “intelligent and cultured” remarks. But what was Nano and his lawyer’s claim? The first claim raised was that Nano had been arrested “without evidence, solely on the basis of the report of the State Audit Commission,” Sanxhaku said. Even if that were so, would an entire commission file not be enough to be considered evidence? The lawyer then listed the “procedural violations,” which would later be refuted point by point by Prosecutor Gjokutaj’s explanations. Thus Mr. Sanxhaku claimed that the contents of the indictment had not been presented to F. Nano at the proper time. Prosecutor Genc Gjokutaj, who first stressed that explanations were necessary “to put an end to the abuses and unfounded fabrications concerning this case,” clarified in response to the above claim that F. Nano had been informed of the indictment when he was charged. A record was also drawn up to document his notification. After these steps had been taken, F. Nano claimed that he had not been informed of the indictment and asked for time to choose his lawyer (strange, since Nano is better than any lawyer). Another claim raised by the lawyer, and repeatedly advanced by pro-Nano propaganda, was that the investigator had deliberately failed to question Nano for a long time. Prosecutor Gjokutaj explained that as of 3 (Continued on page 4)

Photo: A. Babani

-A lie, just like PS itself-. In large, bold letters at the top of the front page of “ZP” on 5 March, as always shameless about its blatant lies, it says: “All Albania unites in a single voice of protest...” So, according to “ZP”, there is now no other party in Albania apart from the Socialist Party, and the entire Albanian people, with fists joined and united around this party, are protesting against injustices, demanding freedom-democracy, human dignity and political rights. According to “ZP”, then, there is no one among the Albanian people who does not support Fatos and PS; there are no longer any Democrats, Social Democrats, Republicans, Ballists, monarchists, former political prisoners, or people with ideas opposed to the social communists in this country. Albanians, voluntarily and without any political affiliation, supposedly driven by the propaganda lie about this party, all follow the direction and leadership of PS and comrade Fatos, who is innocent because he has at some point been hidden away and imbued with Marxist-Leninist theory, hardened under E. Hoxha, who worked and thought all his life for the people, sacrificing himself like others did. The only guilty party is the law, because the law does not take into account the wishes of all the people, who openly demand Fatos Nano and not the law. L. STANI

K.R. Beroni CHAIRMAN TONI NANO REPORTER FATOS NANO PS

O Well done to the police for protecting the old and new shop owners from the Enverist gangsters who wanted to smash and rob the shops, supposedly in defense of Nano. O Terrorists, justice will not be shaken by you!

During his statement in court, the “KJ” journalist Martin Leka made an open accusation that was also tendentious and completely unfounded. Mr. Shehu filed a defamation suit over this accusation. Thus Martin Leka will appear in court again. “RD” correspondent

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