FLASH
Shkruar nga Mero Baze
The US doesn't work with this style of media. A photo in a cafe is not enough to save someone who is wanted for justice in another country.
Half an hour after the fake ammunition dismantling factory in Gërdec exploded, behind which Sali Berisha's son was standing, Fatmir Mediu was on the phone with him. Phone records show that immediately after the explosion, Shkëlzen Berisha spoke at length with two people: Mihal Delijorgji, the "CEO" of his business, and Fatmir Mediu, the political benefactor of that business.
After that, for all those who don't remember, Fatmir Mediu's first public statement was related to... the Americans. Pretending that he didn't understand what had happened and where it had happened, he spoke about an American company that was dealing with the problem of dismantling the cartridges, within the framework of a cooperation program with the USA. "Blah blah blah" without end, just to show the Albanians that they shouldn't deal with this issue, because the Americans were in the middle.
In fact, in that story there were two sides of "Americans". One side that had called Shkelzeni and had appointed Rahman as their representative - they were there only for papers. And the other side, the company contracted by the Pentagon to buy cartridges for soldiers in Afghanistan, which, with the approval of Mediu and Berisha, replaced the Chinese ammunition crates with cardboard crates so that it would not be understood that they were breaking American law.
The first business that caused the uproar was the dismantling business, where those who called themselves "Americans" were fake.
But Fatmir Mediu didn't hesitate to say that they were “Americans.” His voice, for the sake of truth, never trembles.
From that moment until today, for 17 consecutive years, untried and unpunished, he mentions "the Americans" from morning to dinner, as if they have blessed him to kill people, steal and not be punished.
He has done this this week as well.
Initially, he mentioned that he had submitted a statement from six American congressmen asking the court not to touch Mediu because he had been an ally of theirs. He did not make public either the names or the statement, but it would be interesting to see how six congressmen are used for a criminal case against the justice of a country that the US has invested in rebuilding from scratch.
Of course, if Mediu is not lying, the names will come out and they will be confronted with the truth – perhaps even blushing that they were deceived by an Albanian who got ahead of them in the corridors of Washington.
The second lie was about the photo and meeting with Mr. Aaron Reitz, former US Assistant Attorney General. The media quoted him as if the latter had given an opinion in support of him not being convicted by Albanian justice. As usual, accompanied by a photo.
I understand that it could be a matter of lobbying by his business friends in Texas. But on the official website of the US Department of Justice, Mr. Reitz is no longer listed as an assistant attorney general. This is probably because he is running for another position. But Mediu knew very well that at the moment the photo was released, he was no longer in office. And yet he lied to the Albanian public, hoping that this would impress the court and save him from charges.
It is not yet known for certain whether he actually submitted the sworn statements of the six congressmen as evidence in court, as he claims. It is not known whether Mr. Reitz was aware that his photo would be used in this way, or who this USA “concerned” about the fate of Fatmir Mediu really is.
The US itself has sentenced Shkëlzen Berisha's American partners in Gërdec, such as Efraim Diveroli and others, a few years ago. Only in Albania, their partners have not been tried and sentenced.
These lies by Mediu about congressmen he meets in clubs, with former American justice officials, with photos with LaCivita, are a ridiculous blackmail against Albanian justice - which is not known how long it will work.
But one thing is certain: the US does not work with this style of media. A photo in a cafe is not enough to save someone who is wanted for justice in another country. Even more so when it comes to former ministers, public officials, murders, and tragedies.
The extreme misuse he is making of this story on the eve of the end of his trial is a public disgrace for the US in Albania. Even worse than that of Berisha, who paid 6 million dollars to have his "Non grata" status lifted.
He seeks, with some photos and some money paid by his business friends in the US, to escape justice for a massacre that killed 26 people and blew up an entire village, just because he helped the business of the son of the prime minister at the time.
It would be a relief for many people with problems with justice in Albania if Fatmir Mediu's path worked. But the problem is that the US has invested millions in justice reform, to build a new system. And it would be ridiculous to think that with some money paid to clubs in the US, this investment would be thrown away.
Lini një Përgjigje