The vice-chair of the Tirana Court of First Instance is afraid to accept the lawsuit against the minister ON PAGE 5

The minister attacks the man who broke through the wall of the German embassy ON PAGE 4

State institutions have lost every case ON PAGE 5

Alarm over the government’s rampant corruption. Ministers are thieves too During the PD government, 1,500 anti-corruption criminal proceedings were opened and 2,400 administrative measures were taken. During the left-wing government, however, not only has there been not a single dismissal for anti-corruption reasons, but 90% of those dismissed from customs are still employed, Bode and Karamiro said yesterday ON PAGE 2

“Union for Democracy” calls for the prisons of conscience in Albania to be closed. The release of the six is not enough The time has come for the other political prisoners to be freed from the absurd charges as well. Eqrem Spahia, Sali Shehu, the journalist Antoneta Malja, as well as more than 50 other prisoners who continue to serve sentences imposed by the authorities for entirely political reasons, must be released, Pollo declares ON PAGE 3

. The referral to court of the scandals involving the falsification of Tirana’s roads is serving not only to draw attention, but also as a new test for identifying government channels involved in trafficking, smuggling and corruption. Majko’s denunciation, regardless of the political motives connected with the infighting within the Socialist Party, is exposing the champions of the dark side of the left-wing coalition government. At the head of those angered by the red cloth of the scandal, Skënder Gjinushi has appeared once again; he has not hesitated this time either to defend corruption. The Speaker of Parliament, who rose to his post with the votes of Zani Çaushi’s Kalashnikovs, was among the first senior officials to declare himself against opening the case concerning Tirana’s roads. The declared defender of the speedboat operators, who has dared to show his support for them in public debates on private information networks, is now in the same camp as Gaqo Apostoli, Fatos Nano and all the others implicated in the disappearance of around 1.5 billion lekë earmarked for the pothole-ridden roads of the capital. Following his latest statements against Majko, we now have a parliamentary speaker who has openly supported the trafficking of clandestine migrants, which has cost Albanians dozens of lives lost in the waters of Otranto; a lawyer for Zani Çaushi and the bloodiest gang in Albania in recent years; and a supporter of all the thieves in government and the administration who have plundered millions since 29 June. And, as if to complete his portrait, Skënder Gjinushi has also gone down in history as the most ardent supporter of political prosecutors, who, through their harsh and merciless attacks on the opposition, are responsible for the extreme worsening of the political crisis in Albania. His stance against the Tirana roads case sets Gjinushi apart as one of the darkest figures on the Albanian political scene, while making him the embodiment of the institution he heads. It does not matter much how the left-wing MPs have divided themselves, for or against Majko’s denunciation of those who stole the money for Tirana’s roads. What matters is that their leader is the lawyer for Zani Çaushi, the supporter of the speedboat operators from Vlora, the defender of political prosecutors and the ally of thieves in every government. If there are MPs among the Socialists and their left-wing allies who have no connection with the robberies and the power mafia that emerged after 29 June, they should first of all demand the removal of their leader. All the accusations against Gjinushi concerning the delay in forming the Majko government have now been proven, as the parliamentary speaker refuses to agree to Gaqo Apostoli’s dismissal. There is no longer any doubt about his involvement in the Public Works and Transport Ministry’s tender deals, where millions have disappeared. Gjinushi’s entire resistance to keeping Apostoli in the minister’s chair at all costs was simply a fight to avoid losing his share of the gigantic theft of tender funds. But the game Majko has started now reaches beyond Gjinushi and all his associates—to Apostoli and much deeper into the labyrinths of the left-wing coalition government. First and foremost, the arrows are aimed at Nano, who has now been exposed by this affair because it was he who assigned Apostoli to oversee the direct procurement for asphalting the roads, although under the law this may happen only in extremely urgent cases. Now that the matter is in the public eye, Fatos Nano must explain what emergency could justify filling potholes on the capital’s roads, and why the asphalting could not have been done a little later, following all the legal procedures. Prime Minister Majko, if he is genuinely serious about what he is doing, must pursue the truth to the end—not so much to protect himself from responsibility for those who stole the capital’s money, but to send the signal of an anti-corruption battle, a fundamental condition for rebuilding the government administration amid this swamp of scandals. If the prime minister intends only to settle scores with his rival Fatos Nano before the Socialist Party congress, this entire process will be a farce that will fizzle out without any effect. The camp may seem to think that the scandal over the road asphalting is just a drop in the river of corruption that has engulfed the state on a vast scale over the past two years. There are thousands of other massive thefts and robberies that have drained astronomical sums from the state and citizens alike, whether left-wing or right-wing, Gjinushi, Apostoli and their associates.

Serious provocation by SHIK plainclothes officers against Pëllumb Çela. An attempt is made to strike him with a pistol In the darkness of night, after the rally commemorating the six-month anniversary of the execution of Azem Hajdari had ended, an armed gang has...

A Yugoslav military helicopter crossed Albanian airspace in the Kamenica area Yesterday at 02:40, Serbian military forces fired on the Morina border post, while the day before, in Yugoslav territory opposite... Yesterday at 02:40, Serbian military forces fired on the Morina border post, while the day before, in Yugoslav territory opposite it

Yesterday at 02:40, Serbian military forces fired on the Morina border post, while the day before, in Yugoslav territory opposite this same post, automatic gunfire had been heard this same post, automatic gunfire had been heard ON PAGE 5

The DP deputy chairman, optimistic about the responsibility of the Kosovo delegation “The Kosovo delegation must sign the Peace Agreement in front of the cameras on the first day of the Conference” “The Kosovo delegation must sign the Peace Agreement in front of the cameras on the first day of the Conference,” DP deputy chairman Genc Pollo declared yesterday, referring to the talks that begin on Monday in Paris. Mr. Pollo said that “The delay in signing the offered agreement has not served Kosovo’s interests.” Opening the debate on the Rambouillet Agreement is opening the debate on the Rambouillet Agreement is opening Pandora’s Box through the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group. The head of this parliamentary group and the Kosovo delegation must avoid any adventure prompted by petty interests, which appeared to emerge last week. Pollo said, “I am optimistic that the Kosovo delegation will achieve this unanimously, as in Rambouillet.”

The crisis within the PS has engulfed the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government ON PAGE 3

The director of Tirana’s Roads and Sewerage Maintenance Enterprise has refused to take over Apostoli’s roads The trail of corruption involving Tirana’s roads leads to the Prime Minister’s Office, where former Prime Minister Nano signed off on the allocation of funds through direct procurement, that is, without putting them out to tender

Today, 184 days since the murder of the December leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, the symbol of democracy and pluralism, proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and his successor in the heinous crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The governments of the former communists, who have set the criminals free and shielded them after they took the life of the December leader, show Albanians that they have been and remain on the side of the killers, who have names and surnames but are untouched by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari cannot tolerate the killers or this situation. The government must either capture the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself carried out the murder of Azem Hajdari.

Shkodra students warn the Government “We feel deceived by the deceptive institutions that govern Albania today,” declared leaders of UPS Shkodër before journalists attending a press conference... ON PAGE 6

Socialist women make Nano look good in Elbasan Socialist women became the promoters of Nano’s celebration yesterday. The former Socialist chairman, Nano, told “RD” yesterday that the chairwoman of the Socialist Women’s Forum, Natasha Cani, had invited him to take part in the “Summer Day” celebrations in Elbasan. The fact that Nano has agreed to celebrate a day... ON PAGE 2

The trial of the claimant to the royal throne has come to a standstill Following the murder of his lawyer, Kleanthi Koçi, Leka Zogu has not drawn up any special power of attorney to choose for himself the person who will defend him against the serious charge brought against him and the minister... ON PAGE 5

The government allocated the funds under Prime Minister Nano’s signature, to be administered by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport through direct procurement (without a tender) * The work was carried out at night, without lighting and in concentrated bursts. * The asphalt was laid in the damp conditions brought by the autumn rains. * The stormwater drains and the manholes for the sewage collectors were blocked. * Only half the specified amount of asphalt-concrete was laid. The project specified 3 cm, but only 1.5–2 cm was laid. ON PAGE 6