Verdict in triple murder in Gllogjan to be announced today

The Basic Court in Peja has concluded the judicial review concerning the killing of three people in Gllogjan, while the decision for Halil, Kreshnik and Kastriot Mehmetaj will be made public today, starting at 14:30.

At the closing hearing, the trial panel admitted as evidence a video recording in which Kreshnik Mehmetaj is alleged to be seen firing a firearm in a mountainous area of Deçan.

After all evidence was assessed, the court declared the investigative process closed and moved to the verdict phase.

Initially, the case was expected to conclude on July 10, when the announcement of the final decision had been scheduled.

However, the Basic Court of Peja decided to reopen the review, aiming to administer a new piece of material evidence.

The defendants face charges for the triple murder that occurred on November 26, 2021, when armed persons opened fire on a bus traveling through Gllogjan.

As a result of the attack, driver Gani Gjokaj and two 17-year-old teenagers, L.H. and G.M., lost their lives, while another citizen, F.T., suffered serious injuries.

According to the prosecution, the target of the attack was precisely the driver, the late Gani Gjokaj.

The indictment states that the Mehmetaj family held him responsible for the suicide of Heroina Mehmetaj, and this is suspected to have been the motive for the serious incident.

The indictment describes that Kastriot Mehmetaj, armed, stepped into the middle of the road simulating a drunken state in order to force the driver to slow down or stop. After the bus reduced speed, he fired toward the driver’s cabin.

After the crime, Kastriot Mehmetaj ran toward the village of Shaptej, where Kreshnik Mehmetaj was waiting with a vehicle to flee.

The prosecution also charges Halil Mehmetaj, claiming that from June 14, 2020, to November 26, 2021, he incited his two sons, Kastriot and Kreshnik, to kill Gani Gjokaj, continuously accusing him of the tragedy of his daughter, Heroina.