Behgjet Pacolli, the controversial businessman from Kosovo, has not had an easy path to wealth. After his emigration abroad during the time of the former Yugoslavia, Pacolli involved himself in quite a few adventures. First was what is known as Kremlingate, where Pacolli was accused of bribing Boris Yeltsin's family in exchange for tenders in Moscow.
After closing the Kremlingate case, Pacolli moved to another kleptocratic state to do business. This was Kazakhstan. Thanks to the close ties he developed with former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, Pacolli managed to get his hands on big public contracts in this country. But being close to kleptocratic sultans is not always easy. And you often have to put up with flying saucers.
One such event was documented by renowned British writer and journalist Tom Burgis in his book "Kleptopia, How Dirty Money Is Taking Over the World."
In the book published five years ago, Burgis recounts a story that happened 30 years ago, between Pacolli and Nazarbayev at the La Pirate restaurant, while the Kazakh president was invited by Pacolli to Monaco, along with his family.
Excerpt from Burgis' book:
"Patokh Chodiev, an Uzbek nobleman and a product of Moscow's prestigious international relations school, attended by the children of the communist elite, had served as a diplomat before going into business. He became so close to Nazarbayev that he was invited to spend the holidays with his family on the French coast in 1995. Their host was Behgjet Pacolli, a Kosovar businessman who fished for Kazakh contracts. One day, Pacolli had organized a dinner party at a restaurant near Monaco. When they arrived at La Pirate, the group was looking on with concern. Wooden chairs, soot from an open fire, no crystal. This was not the way the modern-day Khan, Nazarbayev, dined. Chodiev sat at the end of the group, near the door. Waiters dressed as pirates laid out the plates, which resembled prison dishes. "Where the hell did you bring us?" Nazarbayev shouted angrily at Pacolli. Pacolli turned pale. Nazarbayev grabbed the plate and slammed him to the ground. A terrible silence. Nazarbayev grabbed another plate and threw it. “This is not what I call a break, damn it,” he shouted. His wife, Sara, was close to tears. “Nursultan, Nursultan, calm down,” she begged. “If you don’t like it here, we can go somewhere else. Stop, please, and calm down. Nazarbayev wouldn’t calm down.”
Excerpt from Burgis' book
After its publication, Pacolli hastened to deny the story. According to him, it was fabricated by a bitter person who is no longer alive. But despite Pacolli's denials, the episode of the wrong dinner with the plates flying over his head remains documented in the book.
This episode tells a lot about how the Kosovar businessman has built his business empire. Meanwhile, his businesses are proving problematic in Albania as well, as the feud between Pacolli and his partner Valon Ademi has thrown Vlora airport into a total mess.
Editorial
