Unusual incident in Belgian court! Fleas interrupt the hearing against Franc Çopja, the judge: Wash clothes at 60 degrees

2026-01-14 10:12:00Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Unusual incident in Belgian court! Fleas interrupt the hearing against Franc
Franc Copja

The trial of Albanian drug trafficker Franc Çopja, also known as Franc Gergely, which was taking place in the Justitia building in Evere, was suspended for 24 hours on Monday due to the presence of fleas in the courtroom. One of the jurors noticed a flea crawling on the defendant’s arm. After a lunch break, the presiding judge decided to adjourn the hearing “in order to take the necessary measures.”

“This is going too far,” said the presiding judge, Isabelle de Saedeleer, referring to the many problems facing the justice system. “I don’t want to put anyone at risk, not the jurors, not the lawyers, not the defendants, no one,” she added, justifying the postponement. The court advised everyone involved to wash their clothes at 60 degrees or put them in the refrigerator.

Belgian justice system in crisis
According to Belgian media, the justice system in Belgium is facing serious difficulties, as the country appears to be losing ground in the fight against drugs. Overburdened courts and overcrowded prisons are fueling concerns that the situation is spiraling out of control.

The trial of Franc Gergely (Çopja) and 8 other defendants began on January 5. They are accused of the murder of Ardit Spahiu on November 27, 2020 in Molenbeek. Both mafia clans are mentioned in the investigations for extensive cocaine trafficking. Investigators managed to identify the suspects after breaking into the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC.


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