Phone taps bring out personalities’ names linked to Aldo Bare

TIRANA, April 25 – Gazeta Shqiptare newspaper started to publish this week phone taps of Aldo Bare, a notorious gang leader arrested in Turkey, involving names of different politicians and personalities in contacts. Alfred Shkurti, nicknamed Aldo Bare, was arrested in Turkey in March 2006 and has been in jail since then pending trial. Albanian prosecutors say Shkurti was responsible for more than 15 murders and several hijackings, as well as the destruction of property and the desecration graves. The gang Shkurti allegedly led operated out of Albania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania, trafficking drugs to Western Europe, according to Albanian Interior Ministry. He is believed to have been in hiding in Turkey in recent years. Shkurti’s lawyer said the accusations against his client were politically motivated and fabricated by the Albanian government. Shkurti has requested political asylum in Turkey. The Albanian government has renewed its extradition request. Phone taps mentioned the names of Environment Minister Lufter Xhuveli and also former Socialist Prime Minister Fatos Nano. Both immediately turned down the allegations. They even harshly criticized the paper for publishing such rumors. But the newspaper said they were only publishing statement of Italian prosecutors.