Albanian court frees top arrested official

TIRANA, May 26 – The Albanian Appeals Court, on Monday, freed Arben Sefgjini, the head of the country’s tax service, who had been under house arrest facing charges of torture and murder, saying he could remain at liberty as he did not present a flight risk. Sefgjini, head of the General Directorate of Taxes, previously served as the head of Tirana’s Secret Service Office, SHIK. Along with Sefgjini, three of his former colleagues, Budion Mece, Avni Kolldashi and Ilir Kumbaro, have also been charged with the 1995 torture and murder of Remzi Hoxha, a Macedonian-Albanian businessman. The former SHIK officers are accused of abducting Hoxha, Zizo Kristopoli and Avdyl Loshaj in October 1995 and placing them in a SHIK safe house in the northern town of Lezha where they were allegedly tortured by the defendants. Hoxha died as a result of wounds inflicted during his being tortured.
The motive behind the abduction and torture remain unclear. Local media have alleged that Hoxha had witnessed a conversation in Macedonia between then Prime Minister Sali Berisha and former Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic, in which they agreed to terms for smuggling oil during the 1992-1995 Bosnia war.
The opposition Socialists immediately reacted, following the court verdict, accusing Berisha of applying pressure on the judiciary to favor Sefgjini.
The opposition considers Hoxha’s abduction and torture as an ugly political crime.
Last week, the Prosecutor in the case received threatening phone calls, which are now being investigated. Witnesses have also told the media they are being intimidated by former security services agents.
The opposition also accused Berisha of being directly involved in threats against the prosecutor and witnesses. Berisha has declined to comment on the allegations, even though in 2005 he admitted tolerating the smuggling trade between Albania and Montenegro claiming that the trade was allowed for “humanitarian reasons,” to relieve Montenegro and Kosova of the hardships of a UN embargo.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty.