By DASHNOR KALOÇI
Part Two
Memorie.al / Even though it was the poorest country in Europe and one of the countries with the lowest standard of living in the entire world, the communist regime of Tirana, headed by Enver Hoxha and his successor Ramiz Alia, financed and spent millions of dollars to help Marxist-Leninist Communist Parties, individuals, and other leftist groups from around the world, granting them funds for travel, airline tickets, hotel bills, scholarships and study rights, various publications, translations of books and political literature, purchases of materials and equipment, visits and vacations in Albania, etc., etc. Created in 1964, under the name “Solidarity Fund,” (by Decision No. 190, dated June 10, 1964 of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA), which bore Enver Hoxha’s signature, through this secret account millions of dollars were allocated and distributed (about 12 million USD during the years 1964–1991), to finance and support communist Marxist-Leninist parties, movements, and groups in various countries of the world.
Referring to some archival documents, the distribution map of the “Solidarity Fund” by the high leadership of the PLA included states from all five continents, starting with the American one: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, the USA, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, etc. On the African continent: Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Congo Leopoldville, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Togo, Upper Volta, Gabon, Egypt, etc.
On the Asian continent: Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Ceylon, Japan, India, Laos, Jordan, Syria, etc. On the Australian–Oceanian continent: Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. On the European continent: France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Portugal, England, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Romania, Germany, Yugoslavia, etc.
According to a decision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA of 1964, when the “Solidarity Fund” was created, the right to grant funds to Marxist-Leninist communist groups and parties or various individuals “friends of Albania” belonged only to the General Secretary of the Party, Enver Hoxha, while after his death in 1985, it was “inherited” by Ramiz Alia and along with him, also Foto Çami, member of the Politburo and secretary of the Central Committee for propaganda, art and culture, and foreign relations. (At the end of 1990, Spiro Dede, as secretary of the Central Committee of the PLA, also dealt with and signed for the Solidarity Fund).
After their decision, the distribution of funds was handled by the head of the Sector for Foreign Relations at the apparatus of the Central Committee of the PLA, Agim Popa, to whose signature was attached that of Sabaudin Kodra, head of the Finance sector in the Central Committee, and Sadik Piri. (After his retirement in 1988, Flutra Arianiti was appointed).
The “Solidarity Fund,” (or as it was otherwise known; “Account 19”) and the entire practice of its distribution, was “Top Secret,” and no one else should have knowledge of anything related to it, except the above-mentioned persons and the director of the Bank of Albania, Kamber Myftari, as well as partially the main heads of some of the respective Albanian embassies accredited in various countries of the world, to whom checks were transferred to distribute to certain persons, (groups and Marxist-Leninist Communist Parties), according to the decision of the Central Committee of the PLA.
For the first time, the “Solidarity Fund” was spoken about only in 1992, after the fall of the communist regime, where in the framework of investigations into the privileges and financial favors and excessive expenses of the families of the former high leadership of the PLA, (mainly those who had lived in the “Block” in Tirana), the High State Control, at the request of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, drafted a detailed report with all financial data and balances from 1964 to 1991.
But what remained unclear even after that report, indeed a great enigma that has not been clarified even today, 36 years after the collapse of the communist regime, was the origin of that fund?! Neither Ramiz Alia nor his closest collaborators, members of the Politburo and secretaries of the Central Committee, clarified that enigma and did not say a single word during their investigative and judicial process, as well as serving their prison sentence in the years 1993-1997.
But after the 1990s, some former functionaries and officials of the communist regime have claimed in various media interviews that the fund was granted to the Central Committee of the PLA by the Communist Party of China, since the beginning of the 1960s, and that there was “not a single penny” in that fund from the state budget or other financial sources. This version of the origin of the “Solidarity Fund” may to some extent have some truth, since in one of the archival documents that we will publish in this article, in January 1991, when that fund was finally closed, Ramiz Alia, among other things, wrote: “The new law on elections does not allow financing from abroad, therefore there may be noise…!”
Nevertheless, the above remains to be further investigated in the archival documents of the former Central Committee of the PLA, since as we will see from some documents that we will publish in this series of articles about the “Solidarity Fund,” even though the destination of that fund was for “Marxist-Leninist groups, parties,” or “friends of Albania,” it was also touched for other purposes, such as the purchase of a printing press for the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit,” the Palace of Congresses, etc., or were deposited in foreign banks, such as in France, etc., for the purpose of receiving bank interest. For more on this, etc., we are informed by these archival documents which have been extracted from the Central State Archive, (fund of the former Central Committee of the PLA), which are published for the first time and with the respective facsimiles by Memorie.al
Continued from the previous issue
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE DECISION OF THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, RAMIZ ALIA, ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING 1987 FOR MARXIST-LENINIST PARTIES AND MOVEMENTS, IN THE AMOUNT OF 75,000 USD
PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA — Top secret
SECRETARIAT OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Proletarians of all countries unite!
DECISION
No. 22 Date 11.3.1987
ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING 1987 FOR MARXIST-LENINIST PARTIES AND MOVEMENTS
The Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, on 11.3.1987,
Decided:
- From the solidarity fund at the disposal of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, for the year 1987, a sum of 20,000 dollars shall be made available for the needs of Marxist-Leninist parties. The Secretary of the Central Committee is authorized to use this sum, judging concretely the possible requests from Marxist-Leninist parties.
- For travel and per diem expenses for delegations of Marxist-Leninist parties and friends invited by the Central Committee of the PLA, for vacations, medical treatment, etc., 45,000 dollars shall be made available.
III. For propaganda expenses (book publications, aid to publishing houses abroad that publish our materials, subscriptions and book purchases, etc.), 10,000 dollars shall be made available.
- The Foreign Sector of the Central Committee of the PLA is charged with the implementation of this Decision.
FIRST SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
OF THE PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA
RAMIZ ALIA
No. 1092 Prot. Date 12.3.1987
TO THE FOREIGN SECTOR
HERE
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE DECISION OF THE SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, FOTO ÇAMI, FOR THE GRANTING FROM THE SOLIDARITY FUND OF THE SUM OF 5,000 USD TO THE PEOPLE’S COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA
CENTRAL COMMITTEE — Tirana, 1987
No. Prot.
SUBJECT:
TO THE FINANCE OF THE APPARATUS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
HERE
In accordance with the decision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, No. 22, dt. 11.3.1987, the People’s Communist Party of the Dominican Republic shall be given aid of 5,000 (five thousand) dollars from the solidarity fund.
SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
FOTO ÇAMI
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE DECISION OF THE SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, FOTO ÇAMI, FOR THE GRANTING FROM THE SOLIDARITY FUND OF THE SUM OF 5,000 USD TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES
PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA
CENTRAL COMMITTEE — Tirana, 7.11.1987
No. Prot.
SUBJECT
TO THE FINANCE OF THE APPARATUS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
HERE
In accordance with the decision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, No. 22, dt. 11.3.1987, the Communist Party of the Philippines shall be given aid of 5,000 (five thousand) dollars from the solidarity fund.
SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
FOTO ÇAMI
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE REPORT OF THE HEAD OF THE FOREIGN SECTOR OF THE APPARATUS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, AGIM POPA, ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING 1987 AND THE PROPOSALS MADE FOR 1988
Top secret
REPORT
ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING 1987 AND PROPOSALS FOR 1988
During 1987 the following expenses were made:
Financial aid to Marxist-Leninist parties: 10,000 dollars, out of 20,000 dollars made available according to Decision No. 22, dated 11.3.1987 of the Secretariat of the Central Committee.
For the travels of delegations of m-l parties and friends invited by the CC of the PLA, 21,696.76 dollars were spent, out of 45,000 dollars foreseen in the Decision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee.
For propaganda, 1,199.38 dollars were spent, out of 10,000 dollars foreseen by the Decision.
The cash balance for the operations of 1987 is attached.
The sum of 4 million dollars (withdrawn by Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 23, dated 27.1.1983) and 750,000 dollars (withdrawn by Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 295, dated 24.9.1985) continues not to be returned to us, consequently we have not received the respective bank interest either.
Head of the Foreign Sector
Agim Popa
22.2.1988
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE REPORT OF THE FINANCE SECTOR OF THE APPARATUS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, ON THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING THE YEARS 1986 – 1987
SITUATION OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND
Situation as of 31.12.1986 _______2,353,477.68 $
Withdrawn:
CM Decision No. 23, dt. 27.1.1983 ___ 4,000,000.00 $
(Return deadline: in two installments of 2 million, in the years 1984 and 1985.
Of these, 0.5 million were returned on 15.12.1984 and were withdrawn again on 16.3.1985.
CM Decision No. 26, dt. 1.10.1984 postpones the return deadline to the year 1986)
CM Decision No. 295, dt. 24.9.85 _____ 750,000.00 $
(Until now, ____________ 730,000.00 $ have been withdrawn)
(The repayment of the 4 million that was to be made in 1986 was not realized. They say the deadline has been postponed again with a new CM decision. In this way we lose the bank interest, which exceeds our annual expenses several times).
Situation as of 31.12.1987 2,416,885.04 $
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE DECISION OF THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, RAMIZ ALIA, ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING 1988, FOR MARXIST-LENINIST PARTIES AND MOVEMENTS, IN THE AMOUNT OF 75,000 USD
PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA — Top secret
SECRETARIAT OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Proletarians of all countries unite!
DECISION
No. 22 Date 25.2.1988
ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING 1988 FOR MARXIST-LENINIST PARTIES AND MOVEMENTS
The Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, on
25.2.1988,
Decided:
- From the solidarity fund at the disposal of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, for the year 1988, a sum of 20,000 dollars shall be made available for the needs of Marxist-Leninist parties. The Secretary of the Central Committee is authorized to use this sum, judging concretely the possible requests from Marxist-Leninist parties.
- For travel and per diem expenses for delegations of Marxist-Leninist parties and friends invited by the Central Committee of the PLA, for vacations, medical treatment, etc., 45,000 dollars shall be made available.
III. For propaganda expenses (book publications, aid to publishing houses abroad that publish our materials, subscriptions and book purchases, etc.), 10,000 dollars shall be made available.
- The Foreign Sector of the Central Committee of the PLA is charged with the implementation of this decision.
FIRST SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
OF THE PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA
RAMIZ ALIA
No. 1224 Prot. Date 25.2.1988
TO THE FOREIGN SECTOR
HERE
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE DECISION OF THE SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, FOTO ÇAMI, FOR THE GRANTING FROM THE SOLIDARITY FUND OF THE SUM OF 800 USD TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF PERU
PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA — Tirana, 4.5.1988
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
No. Prot.
SUBJECT:
To the Finance of the Apparatus of the Central Committee
Here
In accordance with the Decision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, No. 22, dated 25.2.1988, the Peruvian Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) shall be given aid of 800 (eight hundred) dollars from the solidarity fund.
Secretary of the Central Committee
Foto Çami
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE DECISION OF THE SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, FOTO ÇAMI, FOR THE GRANTING FROM THE SOLIDARITY FUND OF THE SUM OF 500 FRANCS TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF BRAZIL
PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA — Tirana, 1.6.1989
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
No. Prot.
SUBJECT: To the Finance of the Apparatus of the Central Committee
Here
From the Solidarity Fund, 5,000 (five thousand) French francs shall be given to the delegation of the Communist Party of Brazil.
Secretary of the Central Committee
Foto Çami
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE REPORT OF THE FINANCE SECTOR OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, RELATED TO THE TRAVEL EXPENSES OF THE DELEGATION FROM NEW ZEALAND
RELATED TO THE TRAVEL EXPENSES OF THE NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION
The New Zealand delegation has covered its own travel expenses. But during the conversations, it often addresses the problem of the financial difficulties that the Party has and emphasizes the fact that the arrival of delegations of this Party in our country costs a lot.
Explaining the technical problems of travel, they indirectly point out to us the amount they have paid, about 4,500 dollars, which we find to be close to the amount of the annual contribution of the members to help the Party press. Several times they have pointed out that they have chosen the Yugoslav airline for travel, which costs less than the others.
We note that the delegations of this Party have always visited our country with our travel expenses. Based on these findings, as well as on the quite motivated purpose of the arrival of this delegation, we think that we should pay them the travel expenses. / Memorie.al
Foreign Sector
1.7.1988
Continued in the next issue
