Although Mr. Bernard Bertossa’s communiqué, as Prosecutor General of the Helvetica confederation, declaring the “Suspicion on corruption” (dubbed Kremlingate) case ultimately closed, was officially issued on January 4, 2002, it was the 6^th of March 2002 that the official order, signed and notarized by the Swiss juristic institutions, was obtained by and in favor of Behgjet Pacolli – President of Mabetex Group Lugano. It took three and a half years of investigation, inquiry and surveillance, for Mr. Bertossa to deposit the file into archives and eventually close the DOSSIER on suspicion and the so-called “Kremlingate case” incriminating Mr. Pacolli.

This was official news making the main headlines of Swiss and important European newspapers on March 7 and 8, 2002.

Returning to publicly-known facts, we list them in chronological order as follows:

1. On October 11, 1998, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian confederation, headed by J. Skuratov (persuaded by Duma’s communist MPs) asked Mrs. Carla del Ponte (at that time Swiss Attorney-General, manipulated by Skuratov) to provide help in verifying bank accounts of the family of B. Jeltsin (then Russian President) allegedly opened by the President of Mabetex (the only foreign company that carried out the restructuring of Kremlin’s corpuses), and relating to the transfer of 4.8 billion U.S. dollars of the world monetary fund for the benefit of Mr. Al Gore (then vice-President of the United States) and Mr. Camdesy (president of the World Bank), enabled from Lugano (!) by Behgjet Pacolli.

2. On January 19, 1999, Carla Del Ponte confiscated all documents of Mabetex, raiding its offices on January 22, 1999.

3. On March 22, 1999 a press conference was organized in Moscow by the president of Mabetex Group Lugano, attended by all broadcast and print media, in which he explained everything and said this all was part of a political trap. Although prosecutors did anything possible to ban this conference, they failed.

4. On March 29, 1999, at a meeting of Mr. Pacolli and the prosecutor, he left the office, after being presented three proposals: informant, witness or indicted. This was a very important fact regarding the further course of this process.

5. On May 3, 1999, the Mabetex Chief answers all questions of the questions of Mr. Ciuglasov, (at that time substituting Skuratov, dismissed not only for being a liar but also for low motives and a moral unworthy for a state prosecutor), asking that the Russian prosecutor distance himself from political manipulations.

6. On August 25, 1999 “Corriere della Serra” started attacking Mr. Pacolli and other personalities, continuing for the 57 days to come, slandering him as the biggest corruptor of the century and Mr. Eltsin, Al Gore and Camdesy as those corrupted by him (!)

After becoming Hague’s chief prosecutor, Mrs. Del Ponte left it up to her substitutes to finalize the investigation on charges that were in fact based on false evidence and media campaigns carried out by sensational magazines.

The investigation was re-launched on April 29, 2000, only one day before the expiration of the legal term of arbitrary investigation against 9 Swiss citizens (including two respected managers of Swiss banks and Mr. Pacolli) and U.S. and Russian citizens, on charges of corruption and money laundry.

7. On August 30, 2001, the first and last meeting between B. Pacolli and

Prosecutor-in-chief Bertossa took place. Only five months later, Bertossa was compelled to close the case for lack of evidence and facts. What was asserted by Pacolli, written in four international languages, that “The truth may be delayed but it always wins” in the premises of Hotel Splendid Royal in Lugano, September 1999, where media from across the globe were attending, was announced and proved on March 7 and 8, 2002, by being published as the most sensational news of the beginning of the year.

“Behgjet Pacolli’s triple victory”

No doubt that the “battle” between the legal bureau of the President of Mabetex and Geneva prosecutors included a conflict related to the compensation of the damaged party, in this case the Mabetex group. This had to do not only with the economic damage caused to Mr. Pacolli, but also with a public act of contrition through an open court session.

At a press conference held on March 1, Mr. Bertossa prearranged public opinion by telling the media “the closure of Mabetex case is approaching due to lack of arguments and legal basis, and at the same time for being a past case, dealt with by defaming media.” Pacolli was proud and satisfied with this verdict.

He had insisted as from the beginning that he was capable of proving his innocence through an open public process, thus tearing down the mask of machinations and calumnies by information bodies. They raised this issue to “an art” (through manipulating with news, in favor of political benefits and politically-purposed interests), which had nothing in common with the justice!

For two years and a half, the Geneva court tried by using all means and instruments to find any facts. However, nothing was proved. This was a second victory for Behgjet Pacolli, as the body that opened this case had itself to declare it closed.

This was a triple victory for Pacolli also because it took almost three years of surveillance on every movement, breathing, balances, even private phone calls and journeys. It was also a victory over vicious and jealous people, who aimed at a “no-glory end for Pacolli”. This did not happen! Swiss legal bodies, notable for their professional competence and correctness, this time showed that they follow matters to the end, as at last it closed the issue (concluded by the attorney’s office as from December 8, 2008).

Media days of Behgjet Pacolli

On March 2002, the “World News” wrote: “Following three years of intensive investigation, the Geneva General-Attorney’s Office decided to halt accusations against Pacolli, due to absolute lack of facts and evidences”.

On March 7, “Swiss Info” published an article, with many photos attached, reading as follows: “The case against Behgjet Pacolli is closed, after three years of investigation. Geneva magistrates on Wednesday decided to close and deposit into archives the investigation against the Swiss-Kosovar entrepreneur, chief of Mabetex…”

“Giornale del Popolo”, a Swiss daily newspaper, wrote: “The case against Mabetex entrepreneur, launched based on groundless suspicion, dubbed “Kremlingate”, is ultimately closed…”

“La Regione” published the sensational news, with a photo showing Mr. Pacolli with hands up, symbolizing the great victory.

“Corriere del Ticino” wrote: “A triple victory of Pacolli, whose saying “The truth delays but always wins” turned out to be true. The same prestigious newspaper on March 7 wrote: “The President of Mabetex, Behgjet Pacolli, who won this long legal marathon by a triple victory, is also the president of B&G Entertainment, a discography house with branches in San Francisco, Berlin, Rome, Tirana, Melide-Lugano, Moscow, Astana, and elsewhere, within a year competes in the famous Italian song festival in San Remo, with successful singers such as Loredana Berte, Botero and Mariela Nava. This celebrity was the one who brought the Columbian singer SHAKIRA, the most famous guest of San Remo, watched by more than 400 million TV spectators worldwide.

“Corriere della Serra” wrote: The Geneva prosecutors considers the so-called Kremlingate issue, and accusations falling upon Pacolli, closed”.

On March 7, “The Herald Tribune” paid significant attention to this official news made public by the Swiss prosecutor’s office.

“Illustrie”, a prestigious Swiss magazine, published four photo-illustrated pages mainly focusing on the fact that Behgjet Pacolli, achieving a triple victory against accusations originating from media tarnishing, in the end honored himself and proved what he told the world media at Royal Splendid on September 5, 1999: “The truth may be delayed but will be brought to light one day”, distinguishing himself as one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the Swiss companies.

“Tessiner Zeitung” on March 6, 2002 wrote: “The “Russiagate” case, which weighed on the boss of Mabetex, Behgjet Pacolli, for a long and troubling time for everyone, is eventually closed”.

“KOMERSANT”, the most important daily in Russia, wrote on March 7, 2002:

“The case investigating the issue of the restructuring of Kremlin, involving Behgjet Pacolli and his Mabetex Company, was ultimately closed by the Swiss Attorney-general’s office”.

“Interfax” Russian news agency on March 7, 2002 wrote: “The president of Mabetex, Behgjet Pacolli, is satisfied with the verdict of Geneva prosecutors to close the criminal issue weighing upon him”.