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Artan Tafani testifies for the first time against Laert Haxhiu's gang

Artan Tafani testifies for the first time against Laert Haxhiu's gang

For the first time, the associate of justice Artan Tafani testified at the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime (SCOC), who agreed to cooperate with the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK), shedding light on 17 criminal episodes related to Laert Haxhiu's group.

Tafani was arrested in September 2023 after an armed robbery at a currency exchange in the Astir area of ​​Tirana. After his arrest, he decided to cooperate with justice, providing important details about the gang's activities.

In this case, SPAK has taken eight people into custody, accused of several criminal offenses committed in various cities across the country.

During the hearing held at the Criminal Court, Tafani answered questions from the prosecutor in the case, Behar Dibra, explaining his path to involvement in the criminal world.

"I was an immigrant in Greece, where I dealt with drugs and had problems. I returned to Albania and in 2015 I ended up in prison for theft. I had economic problems. I served my sentence in Rrogozhina prison and then in Kosovo's prison, in Lushnje," he declared.

He also confessed that he was a drug user and that his father was killed in the village of Karbunarë in 1997. After this event, he emigrated with his mother to Greece.

TAFANI's testimony is considered key to uncovering the criminal group's activities and is expected to be followed by confrontations with other defendants in future hearings.

" I was young when I left. We had a family business with construction materials. In Greece, I initially worked honestly, with paints and varnishes. In 2006, I returned to Lushnje and worked with my uncle in construction. I quit drugs for a while, but then I got into trouble again. In 2015, I stole a Western Union point, from where my relatives in Greece were sending me money. I was arrested and sentenced to 6 years in prison."

Tafani said that during his time in detention he had met people involved in criminal groups from Lushnja. He mentioned meetings with Lulzim Spahiu, after an incident in which Xhulio Shkurti, Aldo Bare's nephew, was injured, and where the gun was found at the home of Laert Haxhiu's father, Qamil Haxhiu.

"After leaving prison, I met Lulzim at a gas station owned by Saimir Taullahu. Klajdi Taullahu took me to a gas station because Lulzim wanted to meet me, to do some 'job I wanted'. Then, we met at 'Palma Nova' with Laert Haxhiu, it was the first time I had seen him. I knew Anterio Kaloshi from prison in Rrogozhina. I also used another name: Marius ," he said.

 

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