Former Durrës prosecutor, currently a member of parliament for the Democratic Party, Arjan Ndoja, has testified at the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) in the trial for the assassination attempt against him that occurred in November 2019, in which Andi Maloku was killed and Ndoja himself and Aleksandër Laho, known as "Rrumi i Shijakut", were injured.
Amar Shkëmbi and Bledar Polovina are on trial in this case, accused of being involved in the assassination attempt that occurred at the Shkozet overpass. Shkëmbi did not appear at the hearing, but stated that he will be represented by his lawyers.
During his testimony, Ndoja stated that there were no direct conflicts during that period, except for political attacks against him.
"In 2019, I was a prosecutor in Durrës. Apart from the criticism that high-ranking political figures have made of me, I have not had any other problems," he said in court.
He stressed that there was no information on the perpetrators nor any warning about the event.
"I didn't learn even later who shot us. I sent my people to Andi Maloku to inquire about his health condition. The family doesn't know anything, but the deceased didn't see anything either because they didn't shoot straight at us, they shot from behind," Ndoja declared.
In the courtroom, he denied knowing the defendants and said that he only knew Plaurent Dervishi's name from a previous proceeding.
"I don't know the defendants in this trial... I know Plaurent Dervish by name because there was a proceeding in Durrës," he said.
The former prosecutor also raised suspicions that he may have been under surveillance by state structures during that period.
"Due to the political attacks, I had suspicions that special police services had been assigned to me, due to vetting," Ndoja declared.
Recounting the moments of the assassination, he described how the incident occurred while the vehicle was in motion, while the vehicle was hit by gunfire near the Shkozet overpass.
"In the first moments, I didn't realize that it was gunfire. The shots were no longer volleys, they were separate. There were two guns because they made different noises and the time interval of the shots. From when the shots started until the vehicle left the road, it lasted about 20 seconds. When the deceased Andi Maloku was injured, he accelerated the car and we hit one of the road barriers and ended up off the road. When we left the road and stopped because the car got stuck in the canal, only Andi Maloku was more conscious and he called his father on the phone and told him, "Dad, they shot us," he said.
According to his testimony, after losing control of the vehicle and crashing, he lost consciousness.
"When I tried to get out of the car, I lost consciousness and I don't remember anymore. Meanwhile, Andi Maloku fell when he opened the door because apparently he had a bullet in his spine," said Ndoja.
He added that he has never received concrete information about the perpetrators and that no one has approached him to explain the incident.
"Apart from the prosecution or court decisions, no one has come to tell us why this happened," he declared.
At the end of his testimony, Ndoja said that he had no connection with the persons mentioned in the investigation and that there was no suspicious financial or business activity with them.
"I am still here today because I don't owe anyone anything," he concluded.
The assassination attempt on Arjan Ndoja, a former prosecutor in the Durrës district, occurred in 2019 near the Shkozet overpass. The former prosecutor, along with “Rrumi” and driver Andi Maloku, were in an SUV that was shot with automatic fire from another moving vehicle.
SPAK investigations revealed a wide network of people connected to Plaurent Dervishaj, who, through encrypted communications on the “Sky ECC” application, had organized the pursuit and then the execution of the assassination. The motivation is believed to have been a conflict of ownership interests and influence in the Lalëzi Bay area.
The Special Prosecution Office has officially charged 11 people for the November 1, 2019 assassination attempt. Plaurent Dervishaj, Julian Meçaj, Julian Pjetri, Arjol Halilaj, Amar Shkëmbi, Bashkim Haxhija, Bledar Polovinë, Endrit Sinanin, Genti Nderjaku, Ramazan Rraja and Redjan Rraja.
The Special Court has sentenced Arjol Halilaj to 35 years in prison and Redjan Rraja to life imprisonment, while the others are awaiting trial./ shteg.org