
In Thursday's hearing against Laert Haxhiu in the Special Court, the repentant justice, Artan Tafani, told how the assassination attempt on Rexhep Gina in Lushnja was attempted.
Tafani confessed that when they went to commit Gina's murder, he and Laert Haxhiu dressed in dresses and wigs, as well as plastic masks, to look like women.
The dresses, wigs and masks were provided by Laert Haxhiu's girlfriend and her friend.
Among other things, Tafani spoke about the contacts that Laert Haxhiu had with Suel Çela.
TESTIMONY
Tafani: Laert Haxhiu had contacts with Suel Çela. Suel Çela brought up the matter, saying that I have a friend, the chief of the crime police in Elbasan, and I have the Peqin case, the murder of Elton Mermal in my hands, I will close it. I will close it, I will close it, he said, but he did not close it then.
Prosecutor: Did you attempt to murder Rexhep Gina?
Tafani: It was after this in Durrës. Lulzim Spahia was arrested. Laerti sent him to Lapraka to get some hash. Lulzim goes, as soon as he gets the bags of hashish the police catch him. Laerti had mentioned Rexhep's issue to me in Athens, in Greece. He said he was a friend of Aldo Bare and so on. Rexhep Gina was guarded. He stayed at his bar. When Lili Lala passed by, he would make videos of her and send them to Laerti. E. Caushi, a friend of Laerti's, also made videos of her and sent them to Laerti. That is, Laerti had been watching Rexhep Gina for a while. Later, he put a guy after him. I didn't learn his name, but he followed him for a month and a half.
Tafani: Laerti's girlfriend and her friend found us two wigs, one blonde, one chestnut. They also found us a dress, because Laerti said we should go dressed as women. Then they found us some other clothes. We also had plastic surgery. They painted our asses with make-up. The next day we were going to kill Rexhep Gina. I took the clothes. It was planned how it would be done. The car was in the garage. They took the masks, the clothes, the Kalashnikov. I was going to meet Fatjon Veliu in Çermë, Lushnje. Laerti was with an ML, and Firdeus was also in the car.
I set off for Çerma. Laerti was ahead. Probably to check the road. I picked Veliu up in Çerma. Then we dropped him off at Peqin to go to the cemetery in Lushnje. We had studied the roads beforehand. Before going to the cemetery, we would stay somewhere there, until Laerti told us to leave. There I would get dressed and go to Rexhep Gina. Laerti was somewhere else. I got ready. Fatjon Veliu didn't want to come. He was shaking with fear. At one point Laerti told us to "leave". We communicated via chat email.
I hadn't seen a previous message from the garage to get a garage key, which Laerti had left for me somewhere. Then Larti was cursing and insulting both me and Fatjoni. I hung up the phone, I was driving my car out of anger. A moment later, he tells us to "go". I wore a long black dress and a jacket. I had my Kalashini under the jacket. Fatjoni had a cream-colored dress.
We set off. We had planned how we would enter, where we would exit. I went near a drainage canal. When I got there, Rexhep Gina was leaning against a wall. There were 2-3 others there. According to the observer, I knew how he was dressed.
I was also upset. I didn't want to do it. I was thinking, how could I not? With that outfit, I looked like someone who had lost their minds. Like a clown. That's what he said, you'll wear this, it's over. I walked past them. They saw me. As soon as he saw me, he stood up. He looked at me as if I was scared. When I turned back, he said "you're welcome". I had an automatic. I crossed the road. I left where I was going. I got in the car and called Laert, "he wasn't there, he had left". Laert took the observer, who had left. He took the observer and told him to come back. But Rexhepi and the others had properly left. So he also told Laert, yes, they have left. Laert told me, go home. I left Veliu in Çermë and returned to Tirana.