Albania The State Of Corruption And The American Dossier

The Albanian authorities invstigating the 15 March explosion at Gerdec, Vora where 26 persons lost their lives and another 300 were injured, now need to take another opening into consideration – the illegal or semi-illegal – trafficking of arms from Albania to Afghanistan. This week the US Congress House and Oversight Committee called a hearing related to the reasons for according contracts to a Miami based company “AEY,” which purchased munitions of Chinese make from Albania to be sent on to Afghanistan.
By American law it is prohibited for the United States to buy and sell arms or munitions of Chinese make and the AEY is accussed of being involved in the purchase and transfer of these kinds of munitions stored in the depots of Albania. It was precisely the Albanian Govrnment that confirmed allegations that the American company purchased from Albania, for the Pentagon, arms and munitions of Chinese make. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence declared that the American Company AEY was fully aware of the fact that the munitions it was purchasing from the Ministry of Defence of Albania had been manufactured in China. This is a new development which could finally “top up” perhaps the biggest case file of corruption in post-communist Albania ever. It is now emerging that the horrific explosion at a socalled military factory on 15 March this year which claimed 26 victims and injured another 300, the majority women and children was not caused by a technologial or human error, but was a clear cut case of corruption and state capture. At the center of this affair of corruption, so far, is the Minister of Defence and other top executives of this Ministry at least. The allegations raised by the US Congress House and Oversight Committee that the American company purchased Chinese made munitions for the Pentagon, also confirmed by the Albanian State clearly proves that the primitive work shop for the demolition of cartridges served as a cover to camoflage illegal arms trafficking. The Chinese made cartridges stored at this demolition work shop set up in close proximity to Albania’s intenational airport were earmarked for destruction. However, in fact it seems that these Chinese made cartridges were repacked to be sent on to Afghanistan. Albanian traffickers and officials involved have built up a very traditional and not in the least sophisticated scenario. They created a ghost company in Cypress to increase profits and conceal the Chinese origin of the munitions. The newly launched investigations at the United States Congress could be useful to the Albanian experts in their investigations in two aspects: First, the investigation in the United States could help in shedding light on the illegal arms trafficking. Second and perhaps the more important, the investigation opened in Washington destroys, once and for all, the false idea which the former Minister of Defence, but other Albanian officials too, has begun to spread. The idea, according to which the enterprise set up in Gerdec, as well as the export of arms, was a business between the Albanian and American Governments. In brief, the aim of this idea was to obstruct more in-depth investigations in Albania. However, as emerged at the hearing the Americans are doing their own thorough investigation. He US Congress and Oversight Committee also raised question marks related to the US Embassy in Tirana. In a letter sent to the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by Congressman Henry Waxman it is stressed, “It appears that senior United States Embassy officials in Albania approved of the efforts of the Albanian Defence Minister to conceal evidence of illegal shipments of Chinese ammunition”. The Embassy in Tirana, including Ambassador Withers have rejected the allegations raised. Ten days ago, it was precisely the intervention of Ambassador Withers which removed any trace of hesitation on the part of the Albanian Assembly to remove the immunity of the former Ministry of Defence.