"The chief of the police station sold to Suel Çela", Erion Alibej: The police chiefs told me to give evidence or we will release you

Today, the next hearing took place at the Special Court of Appeal against Corruption and Organized Crime on the case known as the "Golden Bullet", where the associate of justice, Erion Alibej, testified.

Known by the nickname "Krymi", he is accused of ordering several assassinations for revenge motives and drug trafficking.

Alibey told the jury about his family past and clashes with well-known figures in the criminal world, including the Çopja brothers and Suel Çela, with whom he had previously had friendly relations.

Alibej says he was in a family celebration when he received the news of the assassination attempt on his brother. 

Therefore, he accused Franc and Hajdar Çopja of involvement in the murder of his brother, Endrit Alibej, in what is known as the “Bradasheshi Massacre”, where Arben Dylgjeri and Turkish citizen Erdal Durunay were also killed. According to the testimony, on the day of his brother’s funeral ceremony, Alibej was contacted by the police and its senior leaders, including the former director of the Elbasan police, Altin Qato, and Niko Brahimaj from the Serious Crimes Unit. He said that, in exchange for a statement, he was promised temporary freedom to stay with his family.

"Even in my analyses, only the problem with Johnny Rusten came to mind. Even though I was told about the Çopja brothers, I still didn't believe them. Sueli's family also came to me, their soldiers, among them 'Nino'. I also talked to Sueli and he said to me: 'Stay calm, the truth will come out, thank God you weren't in the car too'. I said to him: 'Who has the knee?'

The day I took my family to the last apartment, the director in Elbasan was Altin Qato. The police came to me and wanted to talk to me, while I was being sought. Niko Brahimaj was in Serious Crimes, they told me: 'Come and make a statement and we will release you again to be close to your family.'

I went, there was Qato, Brahimaj and the chief of the police station who I knew was sold to Suel Çela. I told him: 'I don't want this here', and they took him out. They told me: 'We know you're wanted, but help us with some information about who you suspect'. I said: 'You might find it strange, but they've confused the target, I don't know where to direct you'.

"As they promised me that I would escort my family to the apartment, they released me. I told the police chief who took me out: 'You'd better get out of this city'," Alibej declares.

Another important element of the testimony was the account of a meeting in The Hague with Suel Çela. According to Alibej, this meeting took place after he had illegally crossed from Qafa e Botës in Saranda to the Netherlands. He said that through the encrypted application “EncroChat” he had communicated with Çela, who connected him with an intermediary to meet him in The Hague.

Following his testimony, Alibej also spoke about a meeting in The Hague with Suel Çela, which had taken place after he had illegally crossed the border from Qafa e Botës, Saranda, towards the Netherlands.

"The only ones who didn't tell me or make me say 'I didn't do it' were the Çopjats."

I went to the Netherlands, clandestinely through the Qafë Bota customs in Saranda, to meet Suel Çela. Suel at the time was the most talked about person involved in the murder of his brother.

I talk to Sueli at Encro and he brings me a person, Segein Hasanpapa, to pick me up and we met in The Hague. I have a long conversation with Sueli and he told me that they are Hajdar Çopja, Franci, they did it. And there is talk of the theft of 50 kilos of cocaine.

I told Sueli that one of the shooters was your soldier, a Shkodra man named 'Naqo'. Sueli wrote directly to him. Then in the conversation I said: 'What happened to lawyer Ravik?' He said: 'He poked his nose into "Maçi" a lot.'

"I talked a lot with Sueli there and he guaranteed me that the Çopjat are behind what happened to me," declared Alibej.