THE PRIME MINISTER OF KOSOVO COMES TO TIRANA FROM THE WAR AND IS WAITING FOR RUGOVA TO TALK PAGE 5

Yesterday on CNN he answered journalists’ questions at NATO headquarters PAGE 5

TIRANA—Prosecutor General Arben Rakipi said yesterday in an interview on TVSH’s “Dritare” program that the company “VEFA” had been part of the structures of the Italian mafia. He said that a detailed investigation is nearing completion in Rome and that everything will soon be transferred to Tirana. Prosecutor Rakipi said these Italian mafia structures had exerted pressure on Albanian institutions, and continue to do so. Meanwhile, he assured that everything would be pursued to the end, without wavering. Here is Mr. Rakipi’s statement on the matter: RAKIPI: This case has another particularity: it is also being investigated simultaneously by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office. I believe you know that the press wrote a few days ago that the Italian Prosecutor’s Office had completed its investigations. It is a serious and very extensive investigation, covering a period of about two years. When we began our investigation in 1998, they had already made considerable progress, and our first contacts with the Italian Prosecutor’s Office were precisely about this case. What is striking there is not only the depth of the investigation into the other activities in which these companies were involved, but also the geographical reach of those activities. This reach encompasses Albania, Italy, and other countries around the globe. So I would consider the investigation very interesting, because it involves a large group of people; in conclusion, I can say that it is the most typical example of how political mafia structures can exert pressure on the institutions of a country considered democratic and sovereign. So, the political mafia structures of which country are exerting influence over which institutions? Can you explain? The investigation conducted by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office will be transferred to Tirana, because the request was made some time ago and we are only awaiting the conclusion of the investigation. One thing is clear: after this company was closed down, pressure began to be exerted on Albanian institutions, and I see that this pressure has still not ended. Is it still continuing? A number of traffickers have been involved in this process. They find ways to penetrate Albania and to say what should not be said, in order to coerce individuals and institutions. One example may be the efforts being made to pressure the Albanian judiciary into neglecting the investigation and trial of this case. Do you think Albanians will find some relief through a fair trial in this case, even though it is already certain that they will never get the money? Of course, it is very difficult to find where the money has gone. Some assets have been identified. We have found this in our investigation, and it has also been established in the investigations carried out in Italy. Is there money in these identified sources, or have those funds already been emptied too? Some of it has been converted into assets, joint ventures, and purchased shares. In addition to the judiciary’s resolve, the government must also insist on repatriating this money. Do you think the government has this resolve? I have observed that it does. These efforts are not undertaken or completed in a single day. It is a lengthy process. For example, if some money is found in Switzerland and it is established that it is illicit, the Swiss authorities are required by law to begin an investigation. The first step taken after the investigation begins is to freeze the assets. Since the assets are considered illicit, they are automatically treated as the proceeds of a criminal offense committed in Switzerland, and those assets pass into the ownership of the Swiss state. Therefore, an agreement, an understanding between the two states, is needed to make it possible for some of these assets to be repatriated.

VLORË—One of Vlora’s most brutal criminals, Kakami, who had been sought by the police all day, has resurfaced, once again threatening the family of the trader from whom he stole 230 million lire the day before. Through his father, Kakami sent word yesterday to Vlora trader Sulo Shehu that the robbery of his brother had been a mistake or a case of mistaken identity. In the morning, Kakami had promised to return the money to trader Sulo Shehu. But everything would happen only if trader Shehu withdrew the complaint he had filed with the police. Sulo Shehu refused to withdraw the complaint without getting the money back and without a full explanation of how the gang had been informed about the movement of this money. This was unacceptable to the gangster from Vlora, who unleashed a torrent of threats to kill the entire Shehu family. Late last night, trader Shehu told “Zëri” that he had recorded all the threats, while his entire family was shut inside their home.

Prosecutor General, Rakipi

The floor price goes up, tariffs go down, greedy traders PAGE 5 PRICES DON’T FALL The floor price goes up, tariffs go down, traders remain greedy PAGE 7 THE CAR MAFIA A theft-of-thefts worth millions involving the police and INSIG employees PAGE 10