The repentant justice Artan Tafani confessed this Wednesday before the black squads at the GJKKO the origins and dynamics of the murder of Elton Mermal.
Tafani emphasizes that the murder of Elton Mermali, also known as "The Chinese", was ordered and instructed by Laert Haxhiu, as the latter was convinced that Elton Mermali was involved in the murder of his uncle.
Artan Tafani: Laerti told us that you would bring me Elton Mermal. He was part of Aldo Bare's gang, he wanted to kill him. During the time he was in Greece, he said about Mermal that he had just gotten out of prison, he was a drug user. He was not well, he was wandering the streets. I knew him, because I had that kid in custody. Laerti told us: "Leave for Lushnje, you will wait for Elton Mermal."
He gave us 300 euros, they were 100 euro bills, he gave it to us for the road. I took Lulëzim, we left for Lushnje. We passed through Peqin and we were going to find a place to kill him, under the bridges and all that. We talked to Laerti about everything, he told us what to do. He took poor Lulëzim as a child, left him without school, without family, without anything. He spoke to Lulëzim in chat-email, and told him to leave at night, to find Mermal. He would impose the thing on him.
I look for Mermal around, I can't find him. Finally, I park the car and find him in front of his house. Come on, I tell this guy, follow me from behind. I'll take the car and go back, he follows me. They got in the car and we drove to my house. Lulëzim was at my house, waiting for me. I tell this guy: "Let's take Lulëzim and a friend of mine and let's go, get the goods I promised you."
Lulzim went ahead, we went behind, I told him we hid in the bushes. When we got there, I shot him one bullet at a time and he ran away. Lulzim Arapi gave me the gun, it had a silencer. Lulzim Arapi shot him with two more bullets. I was 5-10 meters away when Lulzim shot him.
We got in the car and drove away, I was at the wheel. "Take the gun," I told him, "and disassemble it," as soon as we got to the main Peqin-Elbasan road. He was removing the cartridges, and he made a mistake and fired the gun, wounding himself in the leg, in the finger. The bullet went deep into his flesh. We panicked, we got disoriented, and then I told Laerti. There at the Rrogozhina bridge, I threw away the silencer and the remaining cartridges and drove away, because I had this wounded man in the car. I was talking to Laerti during this time and he said to me: "Take these medicines to treat him." I take him, take him home, treat him there.
I threw the gun in Lushnja, I threw the magazine aside, the silencer aside, the gun aside. They didn't find the gun for the murder of Elton Mermal. I took Lulëzim, took him to Tirana then and returned to Lushnja. I spoke to Lulëzim afterwards, he told me the victim's body had been found. I set off for Durrës on the road that led to Tirana, from Ndroqi. Bledari and Laerti were waiting there, along with two other guys, in a restaurant. They were police officers, one of them was an inspector in Elbasan, they were having lunch there. They suggested a parking lot to park my car. Laerti and Bledari came, they were in a Range Rover Sport, the latest model, and they took me to TEG, we went to Deluxi.