By DASHNOR KALOÇI
Part Three
Memorie.al / Even though it was the poorest state 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 all over the world, granting them funds for travel, airline tickets, hotel bills, scholarships and study rights, various publications, translations of books and political literature, purchase 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 several archival documents, the map of the distribution of the “Solidarity Fund” by the top leadership of the PLA included states from all five continents, starting from the American one: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, the USA, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, etc. In the African continent: Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Congo Leopoldville, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Togo, Upper Volta, Gabon, Egypt, etc.
In the Asian continent: Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Ceylon, Japan, India, Laos, Jordan, Syria, etc. In the continent of Australia – Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. In the European continent: France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, 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,” was held only by 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 Political Bureau 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 for everything related to it, no one else should have knowledge, except the above-mentioned persons and the director of the Albanian State Bank, 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 about the “Solidarity Fund,” it was spoken only in 1992, after the fall of the communist regime, where in the framework of investigations for privileges and financial favors and excessive expenses of the families of the former top 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 yet been clarified even today, 36 years after the collapse of the communist regime, was the origin of that fund?! Neither Ramiz Alia with his closest collaborators, members of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the Central Committee, clarified that enigma and did not speak 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 officials and functionaries of the communist regime have claimed in various media interviews that this fund was granted to the Central Committee of the PLA by the Communist Party of China, since the beginning of the 1960s, and “not a single penny” was in that fund from the state budget or other financial sources. This version for 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 investigated further 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., with the aim of receiving bank interest. For more about this, etc., these archival documents which have been extracted from the Central State Archive, (fund of the former Central Committee of the PLA), which are being published for the first time and with the respective facsimiles by Memorie.al, inform us.
Continues from the previous issue
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE CORRESPONDENCE OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA AND THE ALBANIAN EMBASSY IN PARIS, FOR THE DEPOSIT OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND IN THE NATIONAL BANK OF PARIS
26.07.1988 1230
4291 CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, AB
Embassy 611534.
We are the embassy in Paris; we have a notice for you, are you ready?
We are transmitting the notice
To Comrade Sabaudin Kodra
For the deposit of the sum in question, in the National Bank of Paris (BNP), the bank interest from one month to 11 months ranges from 7.25 percent to 8 percent.
In the Societe Generale bank, the bank interest is about 8 percent.
The deposit must be made in the name of a natural person and the deposited sum is blocked, i.e., it cannot be withdrawn before maturity.
If you want other details, notify me, specifying the requests you have.
I await a reply
Greetings Arqilea
Agreed comrade Arqile, don’t worry
Did it come out clearly?
Very well it came out
Health
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, FOTO ÇAMI, SENT TO THE FINANCE SECTOR, FOR GRANTING 10,000 USD TO THE POPULAR COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
PARTY OF LABOR OF ALBANIA Tirana, 8.9.1989
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
No. 6 Prot.
O R D E R:
TO THE FINANCE OF THE APPARATUS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
In accordance with the decision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA, No. 33, dt. 21.2.1989, to give the Popular Communist Party of the Dominican Republic aid of 10,000 (ten thousand) dollars, from the solidarity fund.
Secretary of the Central Committee
Foto Çami
REPORT – INFORMATION OF THE HEAD OF THE FINANCE SECTOR OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, SABAUDIN KODRA, RELATED TO THE STATE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING THE YEARS 1983 – 1988
Top Secret
INFORMATION
ON THE STATE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND
By decision of the Council of Ministers No. 23, dt. 27.1.1983, 4 million dollars were withdrawn from this Fund, with a repayment term in two installments in the years 1984 and 1985.
Decision of the CM No. 26, dt. 1.10.1984 postponed the repayment term to the year 1986.
But the decision of the CM No. 121, dt. 31.3.1986, related to the factual balance of the year 1985 and the plan of the year 1986, did not take into account the above decision for repayment, which thus remained unimplemented.
Even the decisions of the CM No. 162, dt. 11.4.1987 and No. 167, dt. 29.4.1988 which speak about the balance and plans of these years, do not foresee the return of the sum of 4 million dollars.
By decision of the CM No. 295, dt. 24.3.1985, another 730,000 dollars were withdrawn from the Solidarity Fund. Decision of the CM No. 167, dt. 29.4.1988, foresees their return in the year 1988.
The sums that have been withdrawn constitute almost double the current state and the Solidarity Fund has been reduced from 6 million (year 1983) to 2.45 million (end of the year 1987).
This has greatly reduced the interest percentages from the bank deposit that we have, which are the only source of renewal of this Fund. Even the interest percentage granted to us by the Bank, in recent years has been greatly reduced (table attached).
The Bank’s actions for the withdrawal of the repayment obligation according to the above decisions of the Council of Ministers have been made without the relevant documentation of the Central Committee.
Therefore we think that the relevant bodies in the Council of Ministers should specify the obligations they have towards the Solidarity Fund and the Bank should carry out the actions on the basis of the documentation issued by us.
Sabaudin Kodra
14.12.1988
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE NOTICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE ALBANIAN STATE BANK, KAMBER MYFTARI, SENT TO THE HEAD OF THE FOREIGN SECTOR OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, AGIM POPA, ON SOME MOVEMENTS MADE FROM THE ACCOUNT OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND, IN THE YEARS 1983-1988
Comrade Agim,
Attached we are sending you the notice for some movements in account 09.
With respect
KAMBER MYFTARI
Tirana, 30.12.1988
Secret
N O T I C E
ON SOME MOVEMENTS IN ACCOUNT 09
From account 09 these withdrawals have been made:
By the decision of the Council of Ministers No. 23 dated 27.1.1983, 4 million dollars passed to account 01, with a repayment term for 2 million dollars in the year 1984 and another 2 million dollars in the year 1985.
In the year 1984 only 500 thousand dollars were returned, which were taken back for the needs of the Palace of Congresses, with a repayment term in the year 1985, based on the decision of the Council of Ministers No. 226, dated 1.10.1984.
The return to account 09, of the above sum of 4 million dollars, has not been made since with the approval of the factual balances and changes in the export-import plan and in the foreign currency balance for the years 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 these returns have not been approved.
By the decision of the Council of Ministers No. 295, dated 24.9.1985 for the needs of the Palace of Congresses, 730 thousand dollars were withdrawn from account 09, with a repayment term within the year 1987.
By decision No. 102, dated 11.4.1987 for the approval of the factual balance of the year 1986 and the export-import plan and foreign currency balance for the year 1987, this return to account 09 was not foreseen.
While by the decision of the Council of Ministers No. 167, dated 29.4.1988 which approved the foreign currency balance of the year 1988, the return of the sum of 730 thousand dollars was foreseen, but by special decisions approving the quarterly balances in foreign currency the return of the above sum was postponed to the year 1989.
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE STATE BANK
Kamber Myftari
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE REPORT OF THE HEAD OF THE FOREIGN SECTOR OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PLA, AGIM POPA, ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING THE YEAR 1988 AND THE PROPOSALS FOR THE YEAR 1989
Tirana, 29.12.1988 Top Secret
R E P O R T
ON THE USE OF THE SOLIDARITY FUND DURING THE YEAR 1988 AND THE PROPOSALS FOR THE YEAR 1989
During the year 1988 these expenses were made:
For the travels of delegations of Marxist-Leninist parties and friends, invited by the Central Committee of the PLA, 25,975.33 dollars were spent (plus 10,156 dollars, which the Air Agency has transferred to the Bank after the closing of the annual balance), so a total of 36,131.33 dollars. Decision of the Secretariat of the CC of the PLA No. 22, dated 25.2.1988, puts at disposal 45,000 dollars.
Financial aid to Marxist-Leninist parties was given 800 dollars, out of 20,000 dollars, which the above Decision foresees. This year no expenses were made for propaganda. According to the Bank’s notice, the sum of 4 million dollars (withdrawn by Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 23, dated 27.1.1983), will be returned in the year 1989 (1.5 million) and 1990 (2.5 million).
At the end of last year, 730,000 dollars were returned to the Solidarity Fund which had been withdrawn by decision of the Council of Ministers No. 295, dated 24.9.1985. In order to ensure the renewal of the Solidarity Fund, our Bank has been ordered to deposit on term (with a high interest percentage) the sum of 1.5 million dollars from this Fund. Attached is the balance of operations for the year 1988.
In the draft decision for the year 1989, we have also foreseen the possible expenses in the framework of the 45th anniversary of Liberation.
Agim Popa
20.2.1989
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE TABLE OF EXPENSES FOR TRAVEL AND PER DIEMS, GRANTED BY THE SOLIDARITY FUND TO SOME MARXIST-LENINIST COMMUNIST GROUPS AND PARTIES DURING THE YEAR 1989
TABLE OF EXPENSES FOR TRAVEL AND PER DIEMS
No. Description Dollars
—– ————- ———
- Airline tickets for Geeta and Kanavi 1,318.80
- Tickets for R. Fernades and Geeta and Kanvi 951.30
- Transferred to Embassy in Rome for expenses, Dominican CP 84.06
- Transferred to Embassy in Rome, H. Beins 5.10
- Airline tickets for Julio Fernandes 397.95
- Airline tickets for Jose Renato Rabelo 229.95
- Airline tickets for the delegation of the CP of Canada 2,476.95
- Airline tickets for Viktor Manuela and Taufik Taharavi 684.60
- Airline tickets for the delegation of the CP of New Zealand 4,100.-
- Airline tickets for Hasein Thahir and Soegerg Flomento 726.60
- Airline tickets for H. Beins 1,944.60
- Airline tickets for the delegation of the CP of the Philippines 270.90
- Transferred to Embassy in Rome for expenses of the CP of New Zealand 108.39
- Airline tickets for H. Kruc and B.L of New Zealand 390.60
- Transferred to Embassy in Rome for the delegation of New Zealand 452.02
- Airline tickets for the ML group of Argentina 585.90
- Airline tickets for Çezar and Burbuqe Perez 4,296.75
- Airline tickets for H. Beins 2,494.80
- Airline tickets for Jesus Hernandes, employee of Radio Tirana 779.10
- Airline tickets for Dynea Agura 1,659.-
- Airline tickets for Dynea Agura 1,268.40
- Transferred to Embassy in Rome for expenses H. Grook, Li Barry 249.56
- Travel expenses for the delegation of the Dominican CP 500.-
Total sum 25,975.33
SABAUDIN KODRA FLUTRA ARIANITI
HEAD OF THE FOREIGN SECTOR OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE / Memorie.al
AGIM POPA
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