The Basic Court in Pristina has issued a guilty verdict against Dibran Hoxhaj, known as “Kobra,” and four other defendants for the murder of an Albanian citizen at the “Kobra City” bar on January 3, 2023.

“Kobra” was sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison, Roland Susuri to 7 years, Jesmir Badallaj to 2 years, and Arben Vezaj and Burim Mazreku each received 1 year in prison, KosovaPress reports.

The accused Dibran Hoxhaj was not present at the announcement of this verdict, while Roland Susuri was also absent due to being placed in pretrial detention.

The presiding judge in this case, Kujtim Krasniqi, stated that time spent in pretrial detention will also be credited to the sentences.

“The accused Dibran Hoxhaj, for the criminal offense of aggravated murder, is sentenced to 23 years in prison, and for the criminal offense of unauthorized possession, control, and handling of weapons, he is sentenced to 2 years in prison. In accordance with Article 76 of the Criminal Procedure Code, he is sentenced to a single combined sentence of 24 years in prison. This sentence also includes the time spent in pretrial detention from January 1, 2023… The accused Roland Susuri, for the criminal offense of evidence tampering, is sentenced to 4 years and 6 months; for participating in a fight, 1 year and 6 months; and for the criminal offense of unauthorized possession, control, and handling of weapons, 1 year and 6 months. He is sentenced to a total of 7 years in prison, including the time spent in pretrial detention from January 6, 2023, to August 16, 2023,” he said.

The other accused, Jesmir Badallaj, was sentenced to more than two years in prison — for participating in a fight, 1 year and 6 months in prison, and for unauthorized possession of weapons, 10 months in prison.

The other accused, Arben Vezaj, was sentenced to 1 year in prison for participating in a fight. Burim Mazreku was also sentenced to 1 year in prison for the criminal offense of evidence tampering. Both of them are credited for the time spent in pretrial detention.

After the session, the defense lawyers of Arben Vezaj and Burim Mazreku considered the sentences given to their clients to be unfair.

Gent Gjini, lawyer of Burim Mazreku, said that the verdict should be appealed because, according to him, the entire trial process was accompanied by legal violations.

“This is an unfair verdict because it should be noted that there were other participants involved in this case. This sentence is harsh, and the verdict should be appealed and overturned. This case is unprecedented in the annals of justice because it is the first time that wiretaps have been placed in detention centers, and in that case, visitors were recorded, including lawyers who were in contact with their clients,” he said.

Blend Gjini, defense lawyer for Arben Vezaj, also called the decision unfair.

“The two-year prison sentence for my client is unfair because we have many exonerating pieces of evidence that prove my client’s innocence. Specifically, my client, who on the critical day at ‘Kobra City’ was the person who called the police three times,” he declared.

For the first-instance decision, the parties have the right to appeal within 30 days, while the confiscated weapons are seized and ordered to be destroyed.

The Kosovo Special Prosecution on February 20, 2024, filed charges against Dibran Hoxhaj, known as Kobra, Roland Susuri, Arben Vezaj, Burim Mazreku, and Jesmir Badallaj for the murder of an Albanian citizen in Prizren on January 3, 2023.