Completed: Case judge Fatime Dermaku has decided to close today's court hearing to the public due to the nature of the questions related to the personal lives of the accused Naim Murseli and the late Liridona Ademaj.
Prosecutor Javorka Perlinjkevic said that the Prosecution agrees with this decision, emphasizing that the questions asked are of a private nature.
The injured party's lawyer, Leotrim Syla, added that if there is any information related to the private lives of Murseli and Liridone, then only the morning part should be closed to the public, reports Betimi për Drejtësi.
The judge, referring to Article 289 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, confirmed the decision to close the public session during the questioning of the accused Kushtrim Kokalla about the private lives of Naim Murseli and Liridona Ademaj.
Kushtrim Kokalla: I found out about Liridone's murder from the portals
Defendant Kushtrim Kokalla stated in court that he initially learned about the murder of Liridona Ademaj from portals and not from direct involvement in the event.
Kokalla said that at the time of the incident he was at his home with relatives, when his friend Flori informed him about the incident. He added that he initially thought it was a robbery, after the first news reports about it. He said that he had tried to contact Naim Murseli, but the latter's phone was inaccessible, and only after 20-30 minutes did he realize that it was a murder.
He also stated that he had gone to Pristina with his family to stay with the Ademaj family, emphasizing that he had no role in the events.
Regarding the hotel stay, Kokalla said that a friend, Valon Lluka, had paid for the room, as he could not afford the cost of a luxury room.
Kokalla: I wasn't the only one who knew about the problems between Naim Murseli and Liridona
And pupdated: Defendant Kushtrim Kokalla stated that he was aware of the conflicts between Naim Murseli and his wife, but denied involvement in the criminal incident.
Kokalla told the court that the problems between the couple were known not only to him but also to their respective families, including work issues and jealousy, writes Oath of Justice.
"Everyone knew about these problems, big and small," he said.
He added that he was not the only one who knew about the tensions between Naim and Liridona, but denied any connection to the murder plan.
According to his statement, during the critical day he had no contact with Naim or Granit, except for a short message.
He also said that he had no knowledge of the person Tom Dodaj and was unaware of the meetings between Naim and Granit until the time of the court hearing.
Kokalla tells his version of the meetings with Granit Plava and Naim Murseli
Completed: During his interview, the accused Kushtrim Kokalla provided details about the meetings with the other accused, Naim Murseli and Granit Plava, claiming that there was no connection to the planning or carrying out of the murder of Liridona Ademaj.
He said that during the police interview, 4-5 investigators were present, and while one was asking questions, the other was writing, and everyone was actively participating.
Kokalla said that he had met Granit several times, but only for casual conversations and that he had not brokered any agreement to carry out the crime.
According to him, the first meeting with Granit took place at Shell, where Naimi had accompanied him to meet Granit. The meeting lasted 5-10 minutes and nothing special was discussed during it, just ordinary conversations about work.
He said that during his return to Gjakova, Naimi had sent him a WhatsApp message to get Granit's contact number, which he had forwarded. The second meeting with Granit had taken place 4-5 days later in Benita.
During this meeting, Kokalla said that Naimi had given him 300 euros to pay off a loan, while 500 euros had been given to Granit, and that he was not involved in any planning of the murder, experiencing the situation as surprising.
Murder of Liridona Ademaj, Kokalla: The Police told me I was the main suspect in the case
The hearing on the murder case of Liridona Ademaj continued at the Basic Court, where the accused Kushtrim Kokalla gave his defense, answering questions from his lawyer, Ndrec Doda.
Kokalla stated that he remembers being interviewed by the police on December 1, 2023, when he was taken as a suspect in the case, reports "Oath of Justice".
He said he was at home when he was contacted by the police to report to the police station in Gjakova, while he does not remember the exact time of reporting, but according to him, he arrived in Pristina around 20:00 PM.
According to his statement, the interview began about 30 minutes after arriving at the police station.
Responding to questions about his treatment by law enforcement, Kokalla said that he was not physically mistreated during the interview.
However, he stressed that during the time before the interview began, investigators had told him that he was the "leader" of the case.
"They asked me why I was arrested, they told me that you are the main one, even though you didn't lift a finger, you made the whole scenario and it is in your and our interest to show how you made the scenario," Kokalla declared.
He added that his lawyer was not present during this period.
