Former police officer sentenced to five years in prison for gold robbery in Gostivar

Ardijan Pinjolli, a 38-year-old from Kërçova and a former police officer, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by the Basic Court of Gostivar in connection with the sensational theft committed at a jewelry shop in the city in October of last year.

According to the indictment, Pinjolli had turned his official vehicle, a “Chevrolet Spark,” into a logistical vehicle for the robbers’ group. He is suspected of turning off the police radio communication device and clearing the way for two other cars, a “BMW X5” and a “Sharan,” with masked individuals inside.

The event shocked the public in October last year. Late in the evening, several armed and masked individuals blocked the road in front of the gold sales point, making off with 18 kilograms of precious metal. The loot’s value is estimated at around 1.8 million euros.

Just two weeks after this serious robbery, Pinjolli and a group of his colleagues from the Kërçova police station were arrested. Earlier, the court had found another police officer from the same city guilty, who had admitted the crime and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Pinjolli’s defense insists that evidence proving his innocence was not taken into consideration during the judicial process. Along the same lines, the Ombudsman Institution has also expressed reservations, stressing that it has found a series of elements that cast doubt on the respect of the right to a fair and orderly trial.