"I may not return"/ The former personal secretary recounts moments from Fatos Nano's arrest

2024-01-12 10:11:00, Politikë CNA

"I may not return"/ The former personal secretary recounts moments

Fatos Nano

The arrest of Fatos Nano is often mentioned these days when the Special Court has ordered a house arrest for Sali Berisha. But the times and measures of the arrest were quite different.

Former member of the General Steering Committee in SP, Ylli Polovina in his book, "To be or not to be", brings a testimony from Kristina Çupi, former personal secretary of Nano.

She tells in one of the chapters of Polovina's book, her acquaintance with the socialist leader, but also the moments when Nano was called to the Prosecutor's Office and then arrested and sentenced.

When you were arrested by Berisha, were you at work?

On the day he was going to leave, July 30, my cup broke. It was morning. The written notification, a subpoena, came from the Prosecutor's Office of Tirana. It was eight o'clock. But Fatosi had to definitely go to the meeting of the capital's socialists, which was held at the Opera Theater, and I told him that he also had to go... My voice trembles when I say it. He said: "You will go to the meeting in Tirana." He went.

When he came here, he was with a group of people. A friend of his, a businessman, told him that they should buy "Fanta". We bought them and Fatosi said: "Now we want another coffee". I made coffee for him in one of the offices. When I brought him his, he looked me in the eyes (how he was looking at me) and said: "I may not return." Others heard it too. We remained. Because he added: "They will quickly do what they intend to do."

That's where my cup broke.

Don't worry, I told him, don't worry, I have a good sign.

Then he ran away. We waited, we waited. Someone came. Others went. We were waiting in front of the Prosecutor's Office. Some were afraid to ask (as we are sometimes afraid). They had arrested him. We received the order to remove what needed to be removed from the office. What should be removed? There was nothing to blame him for, but we wrote letters in vain. More of the blur.

You had no chance to meet him when he was in prison?

We met him on August 12. I left with two other friends. They were removed as if they were Fatos's sisters-in-law, I as my cousin. We waited outside. It was cold. I have it now like in a dream. Like a man who sees a balloon and cannot move from his place. I saw him from a distance: he was dressed in a rower, shaved and groomed. He came and we sat in the yard. "They put you in formalin, Kristina," he told me. We had joked before that he should get a new secretary and she should be a brunette. I had pleasure, we talked, I told him about cohabitation. Yes, cohabitation is normal for the time being, but I would never want it for my maid. Fatosi answered my concern, saying: "What's wrong with you, Kristina?

Let the young people live together". Then I replied that this does not work well for us. "Stay, he said, don't talk anymore." She found out who I had it for, the other two friends didn't. The conversation continued with other issues. I told him that I was friends with many secretaries of embassies, that the ambassador, this or that, had asked about him. Then he asked me about many things. He ordered me to store the papers, for the preparation of the Congress that was to be held, that the office materials were needed. This was also the last meeting with him./DITA