While President Yeltsin waved his nuclear stick at the west from Beijing, a millionaire Kosovo-Albanian businessman was preparing to use his own weapons against the Russian President. Mr Beghet Pacolli, head of the Swiss-based Mabetex construction company, in an interview with the Moscow newspaper Literaturnaya Gazeta, has for the first time admitted opening credit card accounts for Mr Yeltsin and his family.
Up to now Mr Pacolli has denied all knowledge of the accounts, which allegedly were opened on May 27th, 1995 after Mabetex had won major contracts for office refurbishment in the Kremlin. Mr Pavel Borodin, the Kremlin's chief administrator, has been under investigation for corruption in respect of contracts with Mabetex.
Mr Borodin is also the Kremlin's choice of candidate to oppose the incumbent, Mr Yuri Luzhkov, in elections for Mayor of Moscow on December 19th. According to Mr Pacolli, Mr Yeltsin and his two daughters spent $87,000 via the cards over a four-year period.
