Dritan Prifti, probably the most important witness that the Albanian
justice has ever had, testified for four hours in the Ilir Meta trial.
Prifti replied to the prosecutor’s and Meta’s lawyers questions, explaining in front of the penal college the reasons that made him record the video, emphasizing that the registration has no intervention in either video or audio.
Dritan Prifti declared that he had kept the video for one year for security reasons, for himself and his family, but only after having shown it to the Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who had not taken it in consideration.
Prifti declared that he had understood that Berisha had shown the video to Meta, from Meta’s reaction.
“Since Berisha refused the video, and knowing Ilir Meta’s connections, I decided to not make the video public before I could feel safe”, Prifti testified.
The former Minister of Energy explained that his relations with Meta started in 1999, but after 2009, and especially after 2010, this relation had turned very stressful.
“I have been the first MP favoring this alliance. This is where jealousy started, because I received the leading role. On that time, Berisha asked me to be the negotiator of this government, and this is where this relation started having jealousy”, Prifti declare.
However, 2010 was the time when the relations between Meta and Prifti deteriorated, and Prifti decided to record the conversation.
“On January 2010, this relation became stressful, because Meta started making several requests. He wanted to hire people in the Ministry and other directories. These requests aimed to help other people for the concessions, tenders, auctions or licenses. I fulfilled some requests that seemed normal to me. Others were less normal and illegal. I have always fulfilled these requests according to the law. When I wouldn’t do it, Meta started criticizing at first, and then threatening and other methods, like spreading untrue voices about me and for deciding to remove me from the post”, Prifti declared.
Prifti illustrated this behavior of Ilir Meta with an example: when Prifti was ill at home and couldn’t accomplish Meta’s favor, Meta had gone to his house and removed his bed covers to make him get up.
Dritan Prifti explained the conversation of the video, and also the oil scandal concession, in which were expected 30.000 tons of oil to be sold.
“He wanted to cancel the auction. In this auction were expected to participate 20 companies. I think that mr. Halilaj, having a new firm, thought that he would have big competition. But Meta’s plan was for Halilaj to reach the agreement with Armo”, Prifti declared.
“There was no offer in my office for the oil auction. But this request was made several times. 1 million USD were offered to be shared between me and Meta. The conversation was made once in the Foreign Ministry, and once during a lunch at Rogner”, he declared.
As for the concession case, in which is mentioned the businessman Agim Rrapaj, another witness, Prifti explains the video content:
“I will focus on the conversation of this video, but if necessary, I will speak about things that are irrelevant to the subject. During a meeting in my office, Meta reminded me to do what we had discussed regarding the auction for his friend, Bekim Halilaj. I told him that I would do it, and he insisted to finish the work and cancel it. Then he urged me to end quickly another case, but I knew that it was for the Court of Appeal. But Meta said that the case in Court of Appeals had ended and I should finalize it that same day. While I was speaking with him, Agim Rrapaj called me and I asked him to send the court order, so that I could do the job in accordance with the law. There’s a moment when Meta says me that Gimi has 7% for me. This is what I remember from the conversation. On my opinion, there’s no one in the world who cannot understand that the 7% part is illegal”, Prifti declared.
“I have met Agim Rrapaj with another person, Fatmir Merko. This is Meta’s friend. I have met him after Meta told me to, for different matters. Mr. Rrapaj said that he could find connections with the Japanese government, for bringing funds. In all occasions, Rrapaj was together with Merko. I knew that it was a matter of hydropower plant concessions. I know that they had 20% of these concessions, and the guy worked as administrator there”, Prifti continued.
After leaving court, Prifti repeated the essence of his testimony:
“I testified today of having copied the video file from the camera-clock to the laptop in 2 or 3 seconds, and the Court can see the time of the clock and the time on the laptop. The difference is only a few seconds, and there’s no genius in the world who could have made interventions in such as short time. I repeated today that there are no chances for the video to be manipulated”, Prifti declared.
After Prifti, the Court heard the testimony of one businessman and two Albetrol officials.
The businessman mentioned in Prifti’s testimony, Bekim Halilaj, declared that he had participated in the oil auction, but since Prifti was his friend, he had no need to interfere to Meta.
However, Dritan Prifti had declared earlier that Meta had introduced him with the businessman.
As for the Albpetrol auction, the vice director Pajtim Sulaj declared that this auction was cancelled 10 minutes before being held.
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