Diplomas for sale?

An article in Britain’s Guardian last week looks at Bulgaria’s struggle against organized crime and corruption and the mounting repercussions for the country’s relationship to the EU. The piece cites the examples of brothers Krasimir and Nikolay Marinov, notorious gangsters arrested in October 2005, but whose trials have since stalled, leaving the two out on bail and the prospect of a conviction looking dim.

The brothers, both former child wrestlers, are reported by Bulgarian media to have spent the summer frolicking in the Black Sea Resort of “Sunny Beach.” Their next court hearing is set for November 3^rd.

The possible collapse of the case against the Marinovs comes at a time when Bulgaria’s courts are under close scrutiny from the EU. Bulgaria’s feeble judicial system and rampant corruption were chastised in a European Commission report in July. Shortly after, one billion euros in pre-accession funds for Bulgaria were suspended by the EC.

"This case is one of the 20 or so under the EU's watchlist so the European commission will use the case's progress to judge Bulgaria's progress in targeting corruption and organised crime," said Ruslan Stefanov, of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, a Sofia-based thinktank.

Albania Tackles Land Fraud

Albania has begun a more aggressive campaign against the illegal property trade or land mafia, which is said to have cheated roughly 15,000 families through phony property documents and claimed 2,000 lives in violent ownership disputes in the past 15 years.
"The Albanian government launched this operation, which has a broad scope in order to uproot this scourge," Justice Minister Enkeleid Alibeaj told AFP.
Alibeaj said the mafia has made "tens of billions of dollars" by colluding with officials in charge of registering land sales, officials he said had approved "illicit transactions".
The campaign began in earnest in August when state prosecutors indicted three land registry officials for document forgery and money laundering. Over the past several months scores of scandals have come to light involving dozens of officials from across the political spectrum, from party members to public notaries officials said.

"Thousands of hectares were monopolized by the 'land mafia' who have used false property registers to prove their ownership ... and sell the land at exorbitant prices," Albanian Agriculture Minister Emin Gjana told AFP.
Along the Adriatic coast "more than 170 hectares (420 acres) of forest lands, 254 hectares of pastures and empty grounds have been occupied on the basis of illicit transactions," said Gjana.
 “Many Albanians prefer to solve the dispute with weapons,” said Gjin Marku of the Committee for Public Reconciliation, a group seeking to stem violence triggered by the confusion.

Property records in Albanian have been in disarray since the land registry’s offices were looted in 1997, following the collapse of nationwide pyramid schemes that swindled much of the population. With the help of the World Bank, the Albanian government now is trying to set up a digital data bank of the registries, as well as to screen current deeds for authenticity.
 
Serbia, Montenegro Sign with Europol

Serbia and Montenegro signed an agreement on strategic cooperation with Europol Thursday. The agreement seeks to strengthen cooperation with Europol in combating terrorism, human trafficking and cross-border crime.

Deputy PM and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić, who signed on Serbia’s behalf, called the agreement “a big step toward the European Union.”

Another agreement on operational cooperation between Serbia and Europol is scheduled to be signed, according to the minister.         

New Efforts in Israel Against Organized Crime

After a spate of mob-related murders in the Israeli resort town of Netanya and the fatal shooting of an innocent bystander in Bat Yam, state prosecutors, victims’ families and members of the Knesset are calling for new measures to combat organized crime.

The calls came at an emergency meeting of the Knesset Internal Affaris Committee held in response to the recent rise in violence.

"There is no doubt that we're seeing a war between the organized crime families in Netanya," Labor MK Ophir Paz-Pines said at the start of the meeting last Monday. "It is unacceptable to allow this situation to become the norm, turning the streets of our cities into Chicago," he added.

Police officials speaking at the meeting cited their limited power, light punishments for organized crime involvement and the prevalence of illegal handguns throughout Israel as the main problems facing law enforcement.

175 Arrested in Raid of U.S. Mexico, Italy Groups
A joint operation between U.S. and Italian police has rounded up 175 alleged members of organized crime groups in Calabria, New York and Mexico. The arrests were the result of a 15-month long investigation into the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug trafficking cartel which Drug Enforcement Agents say has shipped tons of cocaine, heroin and other drugs from Mexico and Colombia to the U.S.
Officials said that because of the weak dollar, the cartel had begun redirecting drug shipments from the U.S. to Europe with the hope of greater profits. Some of these shipments were forwarded via Italian organized crime groups.
The arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey at a press conference last Wednesday.
"Among those charged in today’s indictments are members of an organized crime group based in Calabria, Italy, who allegedly sold cocaine supplied by the Gulf Cartel via New York," Mukasey said.
Three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel, Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Herberto Lazcano-Lazcano and Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez were arrested in the raid.
The operation arrested suspects in Italy’s Reggio Calabria region, Mexico, Guatemala and the U.S., including 43 in Atlanta, Georgia.
More than 16,000kg (35,000lb) of cocaine, 450kg of methamphetamine, 9kg of heroin, 23,300kg of marijuana, 176 vehicles and 167 weapons were seized, along with $60.1m in US currency.
 
Beth Kampschror is away. The blog will continue, compiled by Sarajevo-based Michael Mehen.