Brother of Liridona Ademaj, Leonard Ademaj, said that the life imprisonment sentence for Naim Murseli, Granit Plava, and the 30-year prison sentence for Kushtrim Kokalla goes beyond the family and also concerns his late sister and her children.

After today’s court session, where the panel of judges found Naim Murseli, Granit Plava, and Kushtrim Kokalla guilty of the murder of Liridona Ademaj, her brother Leonard said the verdict serves as a lesson for others who may create opportunities for such crimes.

He stated to the media that today confirmed what they have said from the beginning, that the murder of their sister was organized.

“It has eased our pain a little, both for us and for the family, and I believe it was a verdict awaited by the entire Albanian people, not only by us as a family,” he said.

Meanwhile, the family’s lawyer, Leotrim Syla, said that the first-instance verdict for the defendant Kushtrim Kokalla will be appealed to the Court of Appeal.

Syla said that justice spoke today and issued a verdict in line with material evidence.

“Today justice spoke. A verdict was issued in line with the material evidence that was administered during the main trial. Two life sentences were imposed and one quasi-life sentence, even though such a sentence is not provided for in the code, as it was 30 years in duration. Given that we have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeal depending on the severity of the sentence, we will also file an appeal. In any case, it has been a demanding process. We understand the court for this decision. We must be measured and respect the court’s decisions, accept them as such, and use the legal remedies available to us,” he said.

Regarding the presence of investigators at today’s session, Syla said this is normal as they are part of the prosecution.

“It is normal for the prosecution to call the entire investigative team to a verdict announcement. As you saw, there were also professional associates, legal officers of the prosecution, translators from the Serbian language, and other prosecution officials present. In this case, the investigators are part of the prosecution staff and are considered as such. They wanted to see the results of their tireless work, and who, in the very first moments after the murder—if not the first hours—responded with maximum readiness, managing to quickly determine that it was not a robbery, but an aggravated murder,” he said.

The Basic Court in Prishtina today sentenced Naim Murseli and Granit Plava to life imprisonment, while Kushtrim Kokalla was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

All three were found guilty of the murder of Liridona Ademaj, which took place at the end of November 2023.