Arbër Paplekaj has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of Pjerin Xhuvani, an incident that occurred in April 2021, a few days before the parliamentary elections in Albania.
The Elbasan court decided to convict the former RENEA officer on the charge of murder, while the Prosecutor’s Office had sought a 25-year sentence.
Mirash Martini, Arbër Paplekaj’s lawyer stated that they will appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals.
“From the beginning, both the police and the prosecution have made an effort to conceal the events of this incident, and particularly the subsequent acts that have distorted this incident. Arbër Paplekaj and I have been committed from the beginning to seek the truth. The court has rejected several of our requests to clarify the truth of the incident. Arbër Paplekaj fired a weapon, but the manner and circumstances of why he fired have not been taken into account. We will appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals,” said the lawyer after the court session.
Additionally, the court imposed a one-year probationary sentence on Nikollaq Palla and Albert Nushi, two former deputy directors of the Elbasan police at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, six police officers were sentenced to 16 months of probation.
In Wednesday’s session, Arbër Paplekaj, the former RENEA officer, and his lawyer presented their final conclusions.
According to them, the prosecution did not present the incident as it occurred, seeking to change the legal characterization from murder to self-defense.
The incident occurred in Elbasan on April 21, 2021, just a few days ahead of the parliamentary elections.
Arbër Paplekaj, as part of the Voter Protection Structure established by the Democratic Party, clashed with supporters of the Socialist Party.
During the exchange of gunfire, Pjerin Xhuvani lost his life, and police officer Xhensila Sota and three other individuals were injured.
During a communication with journalists, then head of the Democratic Party’s list for Elbasan, Gazment Bardhi stated that the police did not apprehend the perpetrators of the armed clash as they were busy dealing with journalists.
He emphasized that the individuals involved in the exchange of gunfire had been previously accused by the Democrats of being members of organized crime in the city.
Bardhi stated that at the location where Xhuvani was killed, there was a car filled with identity cards and money being used to buy votes.
Pjerin Xhuvani was accused by the Democratic Party of being one of the organizers of the physical confrontation between supporters of the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party during Summer Day celebrations in Elbasan.
Xhuvani was also accused of involvement in a drug laboratory in Elbasan, and was known as an activist of the Socialist Party.
He served as the head of the Socialist Movement for Integration for Elbasan for several years, also leading the Regional Directorate of the Health Insurance Fund in Tirana.
He was arrested six years ago on charges of causing a damage of approximately 56 million Albanian lek to the state.
