The former leader of the "Çole" gang in Vlora back in 1997, Myrteza (Zani) Çaushi, has reappeared in the court of Korça, asking for the third time to be released on bail from the prison cells of Drenova. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Robert Shehu and Luan Bedini in August 1999 in Vlora.
Zani Çaushi requests bail from the court on the grounds that, according to him, during his stay in prison he underwent a rehabilitation showing good behavior and staying outside would enable him to take care of his minor children.
However, the prosecution of Korça says that the strong man from Vlora has been convicted more than 3 times for the charge of "Introducing and keeping illegal items in the prison premises", elements that prove that he has not been rehabilitated. Even during his stay in prison, he continued to commit criminal offenses.
The hearing for the examination of his request is expected to be held on July 19 at 1:00 p.m., as the judge of the case has been appointed Luljeta Kola.
This is the third time that Myrteza Çaushi is seeking parole from the cell, claiming that he has served more than 35 years in prison, implying that he has served 3/4 of the sentence given by the Tirana court.
Zani Caushi will be remembered as the head of the criminal gang, with whom the former Italian Prime Minister at the time, Romano Prodi, had a reception for the restoration of order in Albania and the creation of the government of reconciliation. Çaushi was the head of one of the gangs in the city of Vlora during the 1997 riots.