In Friday's session at the Basic Court in Pristina, in her closing statement, prosecutor Dulina Hamiti requested the conviction of the defendants Besnik and Ilaz Salihu, who are charged with the murder of SS Kurse. Their defense requested that in the absence of evidence, the defendants be acquitted of the charges.
In this case, Besnik Salihu is accused of the murder of SS in March 2023 in Dumnica, Podujevo, and of illegal possession of weapons, while Ilaz Salihu is accused of aiding and abetting the murder, reports "Oath of Justice".
Initially, Prosecutor Hamiti explained that she prepared her closing statement in writing and submitted it to the Court.
Hamiti said that based on the evidence administered during the trial, it has been proven that the accused Besnik committed the criminal offense of "Aggravated Murder" and that of "Unlicensed Weapon Possession. Meanwhile, the accused Ilaz committed the criminal offense of "Assisting in the commission of aggravated murder."
According to the prosecutor, from the hearing of witnesses at the trial, the data in the indictment were fully confirmed.
Regarding the accused Ilaz Salihu, the presiding judge, Alban Ajvazi, requested the Prosecution to list the evidence proving that he committed the criminal offense of "Aid in aggravated murder."
Prosecutor Hamiti said that the evidence was also listed in the indictment and that the accused Ilaz himself has stated how he committed the criminal offense.
Then, the representative of the injured party, lawyer Skender Musa, presented the final statement, stating that the murder was committed due to a vengeful motive since 2012.
Musa said that the accused committed the criminal offense in a professional manner and took action by destroying evidence at the scene.
Also, lawyer Musa added that the accused, along with the other brothers, developed communications among themselves, leading to the commission of the criminal offense.
In the end, he said that the accused should be found guilty and punished according to the law. He said that the property-legal claim will be processed in a regular legal-civil dispute.
The defense attorney of the accused Besnik Salihu, lawyer Arlind Fetahu, said that he was recently engaged as a defense attorney. He stated that the statements given by the Prosecution and the injured party do not match each other.
Fetahu said that the indictment is based only on the statements of the accused Ilaz to the Police. He requested that his client be acquitted of the charges due to lack of evidence.
The accused Besnik himself said that his family is a victim of the deceased's family.
On the other hand, the defense attorney of the accused Ilaz Salihu, lawyer Qazim Qerimi, also submitted his final statement in writing, remaining entirely by it.
In the end, the judge in the case, Alban Ajvazi, declared the trial closed, setting the date for the announcement of the verdict for another day.
According to the indictment, on March 26, 2023, at around 18:08 p.m., in the village of Dumincë e Epërme, Podujevo Municipality, after a dispute between the accused Besnik Salihu and the now deceased SS, the accused cunningly and unexpectedly approached the deceased SS with the intention of taking his life.
The indictment states that the accused had fired a gun, shooting the now deceased SS twice in the head - once with a pistol on the left side of the head and once with a long gun under the chin, causing massive external cerebral bleeding, and due to the wounds received from the bullets fired to the head, the now deceased SS died at the scene, after which the accused Besnik left the scene.
With these actions, the defendant Besnik Salihu committed the criminal offense of "Aggravated Murder", pursuant to Article 173, paragraph 1, item 14 of the Criminal Code.
Furthermore, the indictment states that the defendant Besnik, on the date, time and place described in the first provision of this indictment, without authorization and in violation of the law on weapons, possessed a revolver and a long weapon, with which he committed the criminal offense mentioned above.
The same person is also charged with committing the criminal offense of "Unauthorized ownership, control or possession of weapons", according to Article 366, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.
The indictment also states that the defendant Ilaz Salihu, in the place, time and manner described in the first provision of this indictment, intentionally helped his brother, the defendant Besnik, by promising him that he would hide evidence of the commission of the criminal offense.
With this, the defendant Ilaz Salihu committed the criminal offense of "Assisting in aggravated murder", pursuant to Article 173, paragraph 1, item 14, in conjunction with Article 3 of the CCRK.
