On Monday, July 4, it is expected to take place in the Court of Appeal of Tirana the hearing against the deputy of the Democratic Party, Ervin Salianji, who was sentenced to one year in prison by the court of first instance. Salianji was found guilty of the criminal offense of false reporting in relation to the "Babale" case.
Journalist Jetmir Olldashi also appealed the case, who was sentenced to 6 months in prison converted to 100 hours of community service.
In the spring of 2018, Salianji published 2 audio recordings, through which he assumed that the brother of the then Minister of the Interior, Fatmir Xhafaj, Agroni was involved in the trafficking of narcotics. The whole case was named "Babalja", since the witness X of the Democratic Party, who was included in the audio recordings, was called in them by the pseudonym Babale.
Serious Crimes issued arrest warrants for the protagonists of the audio recording, Albert Veliu, otherwise known as "Babalja" and his brother-in-law, Fredi Alizoti. From the expertise that was done to the voice sample, the one heard in the audio is Agron Xhafaj, but Alizot, who admitted that he had imitated the voice of the minister's brother, after he was promised 200 thousand euros by the deputy with the last name Salianji.
Agron (Geron) Xhafaj at that time was handed over to the Italian authorities in connection with a sentence for drug trafficking and today he has completed his sentence and is free, while Salianji risks going to jail.
Regarding the "Babale" case, the court sentenced Albert Veliu to 3 years and 5 months in prison and Fredi Alizoti to 2 years in prison.