Extradition of Lulzim Berisha, here's when the former leader of the Durrës gang is expected to arrive in Albania! The wanted man was arrested in Spain

The former leader of the Durrës gang, Lulzim Berisha, who was arrested in Spain, is expected to arrive in Albania today at around 23:15.

Lulzim Berisha is accused of the murder of Klodian Saliu.

The former leader of the Durrës gang escaped life imprisonment after the Supreme Court overturned this decision and sentenced him to 25 years behind bars.

But, he was released on bail after Vangjush Dako signed a letter that would employ him at the Municipality of Durrës.

The former leader of the Durrës gang was arrested in Spain on December 14, 2023 after being declared internationally wanted as a person of high social danger.

"As a result of the cooperation of FAST Albania with FAST Spain, thanks to information provided through police intelligence by the State Police and their timely exchanges with the Spanish Police structures, it became possible to capture the highly socially dangerous citizen Lulzim Berisha," the  blue uniforms reported.

He has opposed his extradition to our country in the Spanish court on the grounds that his life is in danger, a request that has been rejected.

Testimony in court in Spain

Lulzim Berisha, one of the most wanted fugitives by Albanian authorities for planning and ordering the murder of three people in 2005 in two attacks, said he feared for his life because he expects possible revenge for his past actions.

This was stated in response to questions from his defense at the extradition hearing, in which the Prosecution requested his surrender so that Albania could try him for those two attacks, but not so that he could serve a sentence of over 6 years. He has five other murders pending as this case has not been studied at the time of this hearing.

In its statement of provisional findings, collected by Europa Press, the Prosecutor's Office recalled that the defendant, who was arrested in 2023 in Alicante, in early February 2005 "was responsible for finding suitable persons due to their social and family ties. to physically eliminate a man, for which he had the help of three people who carried out the action on February 26, 2005 at around 10:00 p.m. He was on the Tirana-Durres highway, near Koxhaj, when the three people shot him with a gun while he was driving his vehicle. As a result of the shooting, the victim died, falling into the road ditch, where one of the perpetrators shot him again," the Prosecutor's Office declared.

Lulzim Berisha, “pas planifikimit dhe organizimit të vrasjes, është larguar nga Shqipëria dhe është kthyer pak ditë pas ngjarjes”, sqarohej në letër. Më 27 shkurt të po atij viti, në të njëjtin qytet, ka ndodhur një shpërthim në kabinën e ashensorit të një pallati në Tiranë, kryeqytetin e vendit. Për pasojë kanë humbur jetën dy shtetas.

Prokuroria sqaron se në realitet ky shpërthim ishte planifikuar nga Berisha dhe se “aktivizimi i eksplozivit është bërë përmes celularit”. “Provat tregojnë se i pandehuri dhe tre persona të tjerë pasi kanë marrë lëndën plasëse dhe e kanë përgatitur duke vendosur një aparat telefonik që përdorej për aktivizimin e tij, ia kanë vënë në dispozicion një personi tjetër për të kryer shpërthimin në atë moment, përfundon ai”. Siç shpjegohet nga Policia Kombëtare në kohën e arrestimit të tij në Alicante, të dy sulmet ishin një larje hesapesh midis klaneve rivale që ndodhën në vitin 2005 dhe u zgjidhën 15 vjet më vonë.

Por, ish-kreu i bandës së Durrësit këmbënguli se frika e tij kryesore është se ai ka frikë për jetën e tij pas kthimit në Shqipëri, sepse ka pësuar deri në katër sulme. Shtëpia e tij është goditur me antitank dhe ka pësuar lëndime në trup.

Gjatë rrugës, ai e ka përshkruar veten si një sipërmarrës dhe është penduar që familja e tij duhej të ikte në Suedi nga frika e hakmarrjeve. Nga ana tjetër, ai ka treguar se mund të përfitojë pjesërisht nga një ligj amnistie i miratuar në vendin e tij, se Prokuroria shqiptare ka kërkuar mbylljen e hetimeve në lidhje me sulmin me bombë në ashensor dhe se ka kërkuar azil në Spanjë. Prokurorja e Gjykatës Kombëtare nga ana e saj ka pohuar në kallëzimin e saj dhe ka theksuar në lidhje me kërkesën për të mos u ekstraduar për shkak të rrezikut për jetën se i është dorëzuar vetëm një dokument i vitit 2015 që aludon për atë rrezik por jashtë burgut. Pra, është kuptuar se nuk ka frikë racionale në rastin kur lihet në duart e organeve të shtetit kërkues.

Në lidhje me hakmarrjen e mundshme të pretenduar nga mbrojtja, ajo shpjegoi se kjo mundësi “është një ndjenjë e zakonshme njerëzore në shumicën e kulturave”, por ka sqaruar se është kontradiktore që ai ta pretendojë këtë dhe në të njëjtën kohë ka kërkuar largimin e tij të parakohshëm nga burgu. Në raportin e saj, mbrojtja ka kundërshtuar ekstradimin dhe është ndalur te “kaosi” me të cilin Shqipëria ka bërë kërkesën për ekstradim. Nga ana tjetër, ai ka theksuar se nëse Dhoma e ndjen se është në rrezik jeta e klientit të tij, ai nuk duhet të dorëzohet. Dhe kujtoi se ka raporte të policisë që tregojnë se ai mund të jetë objekt hakmarrjeje për ngjarjet e kaluara. “I hodhën granatë, donin ta vrisnin, i vunë bomba…”, shpjegoi ai, duke përfunduar duke kërkuar që Gjykata Kombëtare të veprojë si drejtësi me prokurë që ai të vuajë dënimin në këtë vend.

Lulzim Berisha was declared wanted by the Special Prosecution Office in December 2022, on charges that, together with other members of the Durrës gang, they are responsible for the murder of businessman Vajdin Lame, who was killed in a bomb explosion in Tirana in the elevator of the building where he lived in February 2005, along with Artan Arsi.

SPAK announced at the time that the investigation into the murders of Lamaj and Arsi had been suspended many years ago and reopened in 2020.

On December 2, the court imposed a security measure of arrest and imprisonment for citizens Lulzim Berisha, Plarent Dervishaj, Indrit Taulla and L. Reçi, accused of the murder of Lamaj and Arsi.

But Lulzim Berisha and Plarent Dervishaj were not put in jail after they had fled the country.

"Citizens L. Berisha and P. Dervishaj have been placed on international wanted lists and are working closely with foreign authorities to locate and capture them," the announcement said.

Asked by BIRN whether there was a leak of information that enabled Berisha and Dervishaj to escape before the arrest order was issued, SPAK head Arben Kraja told BIRN that "there was no leak of information" and that the individuals in question had fled Albania before the court's decision.

In addition to Berisha and Dervishaj, Emiljano Shullazi and others have also been charged with the murder of Lamaj of Ars. Shullazi is currently on trial for other criminal charges.

After the sensational arrest of April 6, 2006, the Serious Crimes Prosecution filed 10 charges against Lulzim Berisha, including the creation of a criminal organization and a series of murders and assassinations committed between 1998-1999.

On January 16, 2012, Lulzim Berisha was sentenced to life imprisonment by the First Instance Court of Serious Crimes for five murders and several assassinations, a decision that was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

However, a 2014 Supreme Court decision overturned the maximum sentence and imposed 25 years in prison for the former Durrës gang leader.

After escaping life imprisonment, Lulzim Berisha filed a series of requests for sentence reduction with the Durrës Court during 2015-2016. In three separate decisions, Berisha received a reduction of more than 2 years in prison, while a fourth decision amnestied him for another 1 year and 6 months in prison due to the 2012 amnesty. Plarent Dervishi was declared innocent by the High Court.

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