Triumf Riza's police colleague testifies in the trial of Ilir and Rrahim Abdullah: He told me they were following him

In the trial of the two defendants, Ilir Abdullahu - "Liza" and Rrahim Abdullahu - "Rrumqi", in the case of the murder of Triumf Riza, Blerim Shala, Triumf Riza's colleague, gave his testimony.

Ilir Abdullahu and Rrahim Abdullahu from the Special Prosecution are accused of having murdered Kosovo police officer Triumf Riza in collusion with Arben Berisha, Fitim Avdiu and Enver Sekiraqa.

Witness Blerim Shala, during his testimony at the Court of Pristina, on 25.04.2025, said that he had known the deceased Triumf Riza since 2001 through the Kosovo Police, as he had started working in the Kosovo Police on 14.02.2001.

Shala said that they had talked with the deceased about work problems, the police, but he had also told them about the conflicts he had had with Enver Sekiraqa's group.

"We usually talked about work problems, then the police told me several cases where there was contact or conflict with Enver Sekiraqa's group," said witness Shala in the hearing on 25.04.2025.

Blerim Shala also told about the moment when Triumf Riza had stopped him as a police officer along with two other international police officers, Enver Sekiraqa, and the same officer had attacked them with a hand grenade and threatened them.

Shala further said that after the "Swiss Cassino" incident where two people were injured, one from Triumf Riza's group and the other from Enver Sekiraqa's group. According to him, from there, the more intense monitoring of Triumf began.

"Then from there, the monitoring of Triumf and these threats began to become more intense," said Blerim Shala.

"Who were these people accompanying Triumfi?" asked prosecutor Arbëresha Raça-Shala.

"Mainly Enver, 'Liza' – Ilir Abdullahu, 'Rrumqi' – Rrahim Abdullahu" – the witness replied.

Also, during his testimony, Blerim Shala said that there had been three cases where Enver Sekiraqa's group was suspected.

"I had three cases that were both Enver's group, we investigated them as a group then, the first case was the burning of the car where the victim was Xh.I, the second case was the grenade at the 'Gisi' Restaurant, and the third case was the burning of the Triumfi car" - said Shala.

Blerim Shala said that on August 30.08.2007, XNUMX, he met with Triumfi and he told him that he was constantly being followed by Ilir and Rrahim.

"On 30.08.2007, when I met with Triumfi, he mentioned to me the whole time that he was being followed. He told me that the whole time that Ilir and Rrahimi were following him and other people. Triumfi knew, and asked me to give him access to the police database where we have the suspicious people with photos where he took some of them and put them on a USB, among them were Ilir and Rrahimi and other people that he suspected were with them" - said Blerim Shala.

He further stated that he had also taken the photograph of Enver Sekiraqa and several others.

Regarding the critical day, he said that he was informed of Triumfi's murder by Triumfi's brother, Visar Riza.

"Triumfi's brother, Visari, called me about his murder. Since Triumfi left the office early, he said he would wait for me in the city below because I had to go to work. Then Visari told me that they had shot him and that he was in the hospital," said Shala.

"What were you able to understand from Triumfi, what was his goal in relation to Enver Sekiraqa's group?" - asked judge Violeta Namani Hajra.

"Enver told Triumfi that no one from the police dares to stop me, neither from the police nor from the commanders," said witness Shala.

At the end of his testimony, Blerim Shala said that Triumf Riza had been a very moral person, he had never had any complaints from the police.

Also at the beginning of the session held on 25.04.2025, upon the proposal of the defense attorney of the accused Rrahim Abdullahu, lawyer Xhemajl Ademaj, the court considered the statement of witness KB as read.

This proposal by lawyer Ademaj was not opposed by the prosecution, nor by the father of the late Triumf Riza, Shefqet Riza, nor by lawyer Ramë Dreshaj, who defends the accused Ilir Abdullahu.

The hearing held on 25.04.2025 was adjourned, while the next hearing is expected to continue on 28.04.2025, at which time the hearing of other witnesses will continue.

We recall that in the court session held on 21.02.2025, two cases were merged: the merger of the case of Rrahim Abdullah and that of Ilir Abdullah.

"The prosecution has requested that they be joined, because they deal with the same criminal case, and that these two cases be tried as one case due to cost-savings," said Judge Valon Kurtaj.

Rrahim Abdullahu is accused of aggravated murder in co-perpetration, but the Basic Court in Pristina in 2015 reclassified the offense to "providing assistance to perpetrators after the commission of the criminal offense", finding him guilty of this offense.

The Basic Court of Pristina, with its verdict dated 04.12.2015, found Rrahim Abdullah guilty of the criminal offense of "providing assistance to perpetrators after the commission of a criminal offense" and sentenced him to 4 years and 11 months in prison.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals had sent the case against Rrahim Abdullah back for retrial.

KALLXO.com has obtained the decision of the Court of Appeals, which returned the case against Rrahim Abdullah for retrial.

"The appeals of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, of the defense attorney of the accused Rrahim Abdullahu, attorney Miodrag Brkjaq, are approved, and ex officio, the judgment of the Basic Court - DKR in Pristina, PKR.nr.211/2014, dated 04.12.2015, is annulled and the criminal case is returned to the first instance court for retrial" - states the decision of the Court of Appeal.

This decision was made by the panel of judges composed of: Xhevdet Abazi – president, Fillim Skoro – referring judge and Driton Muharremi – member.

This retrial case is being handled in the Special Department of the Court of Pristina, composed of the following panel: Valon Kurtaj - presiding judge and Lutfi Shala and Violeta Namani-Hajra - members.

For the murder of police officer Triumf Riza, which occurred in 2007, the Kosovo Police, on 16.07.2023, arrested the suspect, Ilir Abdullahu. Abdullahu had been wanted by law enforcement for 15 years, and his arrest had taken place on 16.07.2023, in Batllavë, Podujevo.

The two found guilty of the murder of Triumf Riza are Arben Berisha, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for this crime, and Enver Sekiraqa, who was found guilty by the Basic Court of Pristina and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

This is the third time that Sekiraqa has been convicted of inciting Riza's murder, 18 years ago. For the first time, in 2016, Sekiraqa was sentenced to 36 years in prison, and again in 2019, to 20 years in prison. Enver Sekiraqa is currently on the run and is wanted by law enforcement.

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo, on 01.09.2024, filed an indictment against Ilir Abdullah for the criminal offense of "aggravated murder in the case of the murder of police officer Triumf Riza".

Ilir Abdullahu had been wanted by the police for nearly 15 years, and was arrested on 16.07.2023.

The same has been in detention since then, while on 03.10.2023 his lawyer, Ramë Dreshaj, submitted a request to replace the detention measure with bail in the amount of 50 thousand euros or more.

"With the submission dated 11.10.2023, the defendant's defense attorney specified the bail amount of 100 thousand euros" - states the ruling obtained by KALLXO.com

Abdullahu, known by the nickname "Liza", was released from detention by the Pristina Court after posting 100,000 euros in bail.

The Court of Appeal, on 03.11.2023, returned Ilir Abdullah to detention.

The reasoning of the Court of Appeal states that the appeal of the Special Prosecutor's Office alleges that the decision on the bail measure is in violation of the provisions of criminal procedure. This is due to the fact that for the determination of this measure there must be a well-founded suspicion and that the only basis is the risk of flight, therefore the prosecution has assessed that the legal conditions for the determination of the bail measure against the same have not been met.

The Court of Appeal had assessed that the Special Prosecution's appeal was well-founded and that the Court of First Instance had not provided sufficient reasons – regarding the proportionality and appropriateness of this measure.

Therefore, replacing the measure of detention with a bail measure, in the amount of 100,000 euros for the defendant, is not fair and legal, and the defendant Abdullahu must be returned to detention.

Prosecution file

According to the Prosecution File, the accused Ilir Abdullahu, with the now convicted Arben Berisha and Fitim Avdiu, and with the defendants Enver Sekiraqa and Rrahim Abdullahu, as a group organized by the defendant Enver Sekiraqa, driven by the motive of unscrupulous revenge, and intentionally to deprive the late Triumf Riza of his life, because the same, on 24.12.2005, in the "Swiss Casino" bar, in Prishtina, had beaten Enver Sekiraqa, who had been hospitalized, because after Triumf was informed by AI, the same did not allow him to give him the racket/tribute - money as before.

The Indictment states that for a while they followed the movements of the deceased, Triumf Riza, in cars and on 30.08.2007, while Arben Berisha, Enver Sekiraqa, Rrahim Abdullahu and Ilir Abdullahu were at the "Sekiraqa" bar in Pristina, the now convicted Fitim Avdiu, through his phone, sent a message to the now accused Ilir Abdullahu with the content "Parking at the Grand, the neighbor had a drama", alluding to Riza, who had an apartment opposite the "Sekiraqa" bar, while at that time he was at the Grand Hotel.

According to the indictment, after receiving the notification, the now convicted Berisha and the defendants, Ilir Abdullahu and Rrahim Abdullahu, drove to the "Quins" bar, where the now convicted Arben Berisha, previously armed with a pistol, entered one bar, while the defendants Ilir and Rrahim entered another bar, to wait for Riza, as the latter was a guest of that AMPM bar almost every day.

Further, according to the indictment, the defendant Rrahim Abdullahu sent a message to the now convicted Berisha through his phone, while he was sitting on the terrace of a bar near the AMPM bar, with the content "Stay still, my dear, you're fine, I'll call you later", after Riza had been seen at the AMPM bar.

According to the indictment, at the moment when Riza left the bar and was near his vehicle, the now convicted Arben Berisha ran towards him and in a cunning manner, when Triumf Riza had not expected any attack, and with his back turned to him, at a distance of 5 meters, he shot 11 times with three short bursts with a pistol, hitting him with two shells in the back, where the shells, due to the dynamic action, penetrated the aorta, heart and lungs, from which injuries he died, while he was hit in the thigh of his right leg with one shell.

For this, the accused Ilir Abdullahu and Rrahim Abdullahu, in co-perpetration with the convicted Arben Berisha, Fitim Avdiu and Enver Sekiraqa, are accused of having committed the criminal offense of "aggravated murder"./Kallxo.com