The purity of the official’s image - before the law and conscience The news on pages 4-5 SECRET DOSSIER

“Deloitte & Touche” will work together with Albanian administrators The news on page 6

At the Hanoi Summit

ITALY: Local elections On Sunday, local general elections were held in Italy for the offices of mayors and provincial presidents. Today there will be a runoff between the candidates of the centre-right coalition and those of the left. According to the Italian media, around 241 cities and about 61 provinces are holding the runoff process today. Voters in Italy were divided between north and south. In the north, according to the Italian media, the right-wing coalition won in Lecce, Naples, Venice, La Spezia, Cosenza and Salerno, in cities where the runoff began. Aligned with the senator of the Communist Refoundation Party, Armando Cossutta has secured the left successive victories from the first round in 6 cities of Italy. Minister Malaj in an interpellation The Minister of Finance, Arben Malaj, was invited today to a hearing on the pyramid scheme to report on the start of the operation to distribute the 3 billion lekë blocked and deposited in the State Bank. The head of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, Genc Pollo, accused the government led by Fatos Nano of contradicting public statements about the non-payment of the firms. Mr. Malaj said during the hearing in the economy committee that, regarding the subject of this interpellation, he proposes that it be postponed to a new committee session tomorrow.

The XXXI Assembly of the International Organization of French-speaking countries is continuing its work in Hanoi, Vietnam. Within the framework of this Assembly, the President of the Republic, Rexhep Mejdani, has had a series of meetings with heads of delegations and heads of state participating in it. It held its work from 13 to 49 November and the Assembly of French-speaking countries has marked a special feature, because issues and matters of common interest are being examined, especially questions related to peace and understanding among countries and peoples. The Albanian President Mejdani, during his stay in Hanoi, also had a meeting with the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac. The media in Vietnam have widely covered this meeting, as well as President Chirac’s statement to the Albanian President that France will soon open its embassy in Tirana. The French and Vietnamese press have also highlighted the importance of cooperation and of Albania’s perspective for integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, and have also echoed Albania’s valuable and moderate role in the region, as well as the development of multifaceted relations between it and the countries of the Francophonie. Regarding relations with our country, the Chancellor of the FRG, Helmut Kohl, also spoke in an interview given to the French newspaper “Le Figaro”; he stated that “I think that relations with Southern Albania [?] must be improved better.” Mejdani was pleased that our country is being regarded as stabilized and as playing a useful role in the region. Mejdani also met with the Prime Minister of Laos, Sisavath Keobunphanh [?], with the President of Benin, Matieu Kerekou, and the Vice President of Tanzania, Omar Ali Juma. The discussion focused on intensifying bilateral cooperation, especially in areas related to economic reforms, trade, and technical assistance. The desire of our country’s government to develop these relations and to do so in the interest of peace and stability in the Balkans was confirmed.

VEFA lawsuit dismissed The Court of Cassation decided to amend VEFA’s lawsuit against Vilexos regarding the expiration deadlines of the decision. As is known, VEFA had filed through its lawyer against Vilexos, requesting the annulment of the decision issued by VFA [?], which, according to the administrators, had acted without respecting the deadlines set in its regulations for non-payment. In this process, VEFA requested not only the annulment of the decision but also compensation for lost profit as a consequence of this decision. The defense lawyer, Mr. Apullari, for VEFA’s reinstatement, presented a series of legal arguments. Shareholders at VFA continues on page 2

Dear readers! Last night around 21.00, a fault in the electricity supply network [?] occurring in the interconnected world of the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit” caused processing and extended the time needed to close the page. As a result, in issue No. 46, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief, H. Hyseni, edited the prominent anti-corruption material that RIFASHA sent us today on 8 pages with a lack of attention.