THE shots rang out, followed by an eerie silence. Kusni Kasdut was pronounced dead at dawn, sometime in February, 23 years ago. The man was a notorious criminal who had committed kidnapping, robbery and murder. He killed a policeman, a married couple and a businessman. The national museum, too, was robbed of its diamonds by Kusni.

Some 16 years earlier, the judge presiding over his trial had decided that for his crimes Kusni would face the firing