Ardian Çapja’s Mother Dies, Prison Directorate Denies Him Permission to Attend Funeral Ceremony as Police Decline to Guarantee Security

The request by life-sentenced prisoner Ardian Çapja for permission to attend his mother’s funeral ceremony was denied on security grounds.

The decision was reportedly made after the State Police declined to guarantee security while escorting Çapja outside the prison. Çapja’s mother’s funeral was held today at 14:00 in Elbasan.

Sources said the General Directorate of Prisons had sent a request to the police, asking whether it would undertake Çapja’s escort and security while he was out of prison to attend the funeral.

However, according to preliminary information, the police did not respond to the request, preventing Çapja from attending the funeral ceremony.

LIFE SENTENCE

On April 19, 2023, the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime sentenced Ardian Çopja (Çapja) to life imprisonment for a double murder committed in 2012 and for involvement in a structured criminal group.

Florenc Çapja and Jorgo Leku (alias Olsi Leka) were also sentenced to life imprisonment, while Klajdi Dokoli and Etjen Cani were sentenced to 25 years in prison and Ervis Bardhi to 15 years’ imprisonment.

Çopja and the other defendants were found guilty of the murders of Nezir and Gentjan Beqiri, father and son, which took place on the morning of August 15, 2012, inside the victims’ home in the city of Elbasan.

Ardjan Çapja and members of his family have been linked to a series of serious incidents that have occurred in Elbasan over the past 16 years, including several assassination attempts.

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS AGAINST ARDIAN ÇAPJA

Ardian Çapja’s name is well known to the Albanian authorities, while one of the most high-profile attempts on his life occurred in 2020, when he was shot by a sniper near his home in Elbasan.

Ardian Çapja was shot by a sniper on June 8, 2020, and was struck by a bullet below the shoulder. The incident occurred in the neighborhood known as Krastë. This was the third attempt on his life. The first took place in January 2016, while the second occurred in December 2017.

According to information made public at the time, the gunman had kept Çapja under surveillance and chosen a suitable position from which to shoot.

Sources at the time suspected that the sniper and other people involved in the attack had positioned themselves at a repair shop near Çapja’s home. The distance in a straight line was believed to have been around 150 meters.

It was also reported at the time that the order for his execution had been given by Suel Çela and that the shot had been fired by Prekë Kodra, a sniper from Shkodra.