-TO HELP THE READER UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM OF THIS CORRUPTION. -IN THE ABSENCE OF FACTS WITH WHICH TO REFUTE THE ACCUSATION, NANO CHOOSES SILENCE, AUTOMATICALLY ACCEPTING IT. -SOKRAT PLAKA, IN HIS STATEMENT, ACCUSES R.ALI, A.ÇARÇANI AND FATOS NANO. HE CONFIRMS THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE DOCUMENT DATED 4 MARCH. DURING THE INVESTIGATION S.PLAKA CONFIRMED THAT F.NANO GAVE HIM INSTRUCTIONS BY TELEPHONE. WHAT IS THE DOCUMENT OF 4 MARCH?! ON 4 MARCH, FORMER DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SOKRAT PLAKA ADDRESSED THE FORMER ITALIAN AMBASSADOR IN TIRANA, TORKUATO KARDILI, AS FOLLOWS: I INFORM YOU THAT IT IS OUR WISH THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS INITIATIVE BE ENTRUSTED TO THE COMPANY LEVANTE CO OF BARI. SUCH A COMPANY HAS OPERATED IN OUR COUNTRY TO OUR PARTICULAR SATISFACTION; it is familiar with the reality of Albania and has the facilities for collecting and distributing food and pharmaceutical products, which will facilitate implementation of the project. I would add that the quality of the products supplied by LEVANTE CO meets sanitary standards and the preferences of the population. AT THE END OF THE DOCUMENT IT IS WRITTEN: AS INSTRUCTED BY MR. FATOS NANO AND WITH THE APPROVAL OF MR. MUHAMET KAPLLANI. DATE: 4 MARCH 1991. FURTHER TESTIMONY -DE MIKELIS ALSO TESTIFIES THAT LEVANTE CO WAS APPOINTED BY THE ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT -GRAMOZ PASHKO ALSO REAFFIRMS, WHEN CALLED AS A WITNESS DURING THE INVESTIGATION, THAT LEVANTE CO HAD BEEN APPOINTED BY THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT.

At 10:15 on Sunday, the second hearing of the trial opened; following the two-page ruling of the court panel, the proceedings were to continue with the defendants’ explanations and questions. -Nano is silent, unable to explain his crime- The presiding judge, A.Bendo, bearing in mind Nano’s statement that he would leave the proceedings because his preliminary requests had not been accepted, pointed out to the defendants that they should give their explanations and answer questions. Giving explanations would help both the court panel assess the matter objectively and Nano himself. The defendant Nano stood up and once again began presenting his preliminary requests, even though the court panel had already ruled on them. From time to time, as he spoke, he would not allow the court proceedings to continue. Nano repeated his demands, linking the matter and the trial with “the interests of Albania,” and also drew attention to the general interest in having the case resolved in his favor, to eliminate “the complications that might arise” otherwise. Apparently, he was fixated on the “rallies” and the “70th anniversary of his defense.” He continued his statement with “...”. -Nano insults all Albanians, accusing them of having a “mentality” that brought him to trial. After an explanation had been given by a confused young woman, Nano, during his speech, justified himself by saying: “Albanians have the mentality that the West owes it to them to help them. With this mentality, we have reached this state.” It would be hard to accuse the Albanians more plainly of having brought Nano to trial solely because of their “wrong” mentality. In addition to making insulting accusations against an entire people, Nano contradicts himself. He himself had earlier declared that even the government, not the courts, had relied on a bad assessment of the situation. Everyone knows what that mentality of the past was, and with these “we and the bar...”

...would leave the proceedings because his preliminary requests had not been accepted, he pointed out to the defendants that they should give their explanations and answer questions. Giving explanations would help both the court panel assess the matter objectively and Nano himself. According to Nano, it seems Albanians have the mentality that the West is obliged to help them. No, Mr. Nano, Albanians asked Europe for help to get out of the hell into which they had been plunged. Europe did indeed provide a great deal of aid, but you made it disappear; and, in trying to justify this crime and the aid you gave your associates so they could abuse it, you blame the Albanians and their mentality. After Nano’s speech (which again ended with a request that he “be allowed to speak”), the judge spoke briefly, and the presiding judge of the court panel repeated that giving concrete explanations about the case was in Nano’s interest. Nano continued in exactly the same vein as before and asked the “court panel,” saying: “Will you change the court’s decision?” “If you do not reconsider the decision, I will continue with my decision.” Although Mr. Bendo repeated that a decision had been made and, under the procedures, could not be reconsidered, Nano’s lawyer made the same requests. Thus the “guardians” of procedure demanded at all costs that it be breached, even making the continuation of the proceedings conditional on granting this improper request. This was made clear also by prosecutor G.Gjokutaj, who stressed that the conduct of a defendant who makes the continuation of the trial conditional on his demands “clearly demonstrates that the defendant’s trial and his explanations have been conditioned on the fulfillment of unfounded demands.” Even today they are seeking to impose themselves. “Nevertheless,” G.Gjokutaj continued, “if the truth of the proceedings had emerged from the evidence and testimony, and not from a judge who would make the defendant [unclear], we would not be here today.” -The fraud becomes clear (Continued on page 3)

Just laughable A STATEMENT WITH A CATCH (Taken from “Zëri i Popullit” dated 4 March 1994) At the top of the first page, in large black letters, it says: “Today in Albania: national protest against violence, the violation of human rights, for freedom, equality and justice.” The truth is that yesterday Albania and the entire nation spent the day peacefully, with their everyday joys and worries. From the statement by the Socialist Women’s Forum of Albania, we quote: “The Nano case” is an indication of the crisis of the present government, an attempt to cover up the opposition’s trials ... In other words, if Nano is not convicted, then the government is not a democratic government. If Nano is convicted, then the opposition is supposedly being silenced. We do not know whether the opposition admits that it has been gagged all this time while Nano has been in prison. Further down in the same statement: “With this concern for the present, but also for the future of our children, we demand that the Nano case be referred to the prosecutor’s office so the investigation can be completed.” In short, the socialists are instructing the court panel, which has authority over referring cases for investigation. In particular, the court has nothing to say about the cases. Another woman, this time from “Zëri i Popullit,” comrade Violeta Manushi, declares on the front page of this newspaper: “...I cannot help expressing my indignation and concern about the conduct of the authorities of (Continued on page 4)

-Signs of a deep split in the Socialist leadership are emerging- -Dokle at the podium, Pellumbi in the hall- Yesterday, during the PS session in the capital, a press conference for journalists was organized. First, Comrade Dokle read a press release on behalf of the PS Presidium. Between the lines of this statement, unlike anything before, one could sense a deep, bitter criticism of the extreme left’s all-out struggle to plunge the democratic state into turmoil, as well as criticism of the failure to defend it against the forces that have become a breeding ground for the unannounced ambitions for power of today’s leaders. In the same vein, in his statement Mr. Namik made it clear that he does not agree with the law and the democratic state, and that he does not accept the stance and views of the Albanian judicial authorities regarding the “Nano” case. (Continued on page 4)

Photograph of a man in a hall; no readable caption.