The Court of First Instance in Shkodra has ordered the security measure "prison arrest" for Vasel Koçeku, 43, and Klaudio Lisaj, 20, suspected of being the perpetrators of the murder of 20-year-old Pavlin Preka, an event that occurred on February 20 of this year in the Gucia e Re area, Rrethina administrative unit. The decision was made following the request of the Shkodra Prosecution Office for the two suspects in the serious crime.
Prosecutor Albert Murçaj, head of the Shkodra Prosecutor's Office, requested the most severe security measure, emphasizing that there are environmental wiretaps, some of which continue to be an investigative secret, and which, according to him, constitute a strong basis for suspicions against them. On the other hand, defense lawyers Arbër Raja and Blerim Bazhdari requested that no security measure be imposed on Koçek and Lisaj, arguing that there is a lack of concrete evidence directly linking them to the murder of Pavlin Preka. Both suspects have repeatedly denied authorship of the crime, both during police questioning and during the court hearing for the imposition of the security measure.
They have stated that they were not at the scene of the crime and that they have nothing to do with the murder. Similar denials were made in the first days after the crime when the police questioned these two citizens, but also now, about 10 months after the event. Koçek and Lisaj are suspected of the criminal offenses of “Premeditated murder committed in collaboration” and “Unlicensed possession and production of weapons, explosive weapons and ammunition”. They were arrested as part of the police operation codenamed “Weight of Crime”.
But what is the history of this event?
The murder is suspected to be motivated by a long-standing conflict related to the victim's desire to get engaged to Vasel Koçek's daughter, who is currently 16 years old. The story, according to the investigation, begins about three years ago, when Pavlin Preka had asked the Koçek family for her hand in marriage. At that time, the girl was only 13 years old, while Preka was 17. The request was immediately rejected by her father, Vasel Koçek, telling him that he had no daughter to give because she was too young.
However, according to sources, over the following years Preka continued to show interest and persistence in the girl, expressing his feelings to other people. The Koçeku family has never accepted this request, considering it unacceptable due to the girl's minor age, while several times they have heard what the victim said. According to the investigation, it is suspected that on the morning of February 20, Klaudio Lisaj, an acquaintance of the victim and the Koçeku family, took Pavlin Preka out of his apartment in Guci i Re. Then, according to the prosecution's suspicions, Vasel Koçeku shot him with a firearm, causing his instant death.
The 20-year-old's body was found a few hours later by his family, after he did not answer his phone calls. After the incident, the victim's uncle publicly stated that Pavlin Preka had no known conflicts, emphasizing that the young man lived between Shkodra and Dukagjin. Although both arrested continue to deny any involvement, the court, by decision of Judge Tefta Xhanari, decided to leave them in the detention cell. Meanwhile, the investigations into the murder of Pavlin Preka continue, with the aim of fully clarifying the circumstances and motives of this serious event.