Various Albanian media including VoA have reported that there are obvious and problematic contradictions between the police and prosecutors’ statements and the evidence found at the crime scene in Elbasan, where a person was murdered after a clash between supporters of the democratic Party and allegedly people who were involved in vote buying.
On April 21, some DP supporters, members of a so called group for vote protection clashed with some emn which wer seen having suspicious materials in their vehicles. These included as wa slater verified by what the police found identity cards and various pieces of paper written as “payment vouchers.” In their first statements police director Ardi Veliu and case prosecutor Alfred Shehu denied that the evidence found could be considered tied to vote buying.
However in the vehicles owned by Mehmet Greca and Klodian Xhaferri the police found models of the ballot paper, various papers marked with the words payment and patronage and a small amount of money.
Prosecutor Shehu per procedure is not allowed to comment on an ongoing case.
The crime was the gravest incident registered during the electoral campaign. Arber Paplekaj, part of the DP electoral local structure, shot Pjerin Xhuvani and surrendered himself to the police afterwards. He claims that he was responding to the attack of the other side however the police has not yet determined who started the armed confrontation despite several “Shqiponja” special police forces being present at the site at the time of the crime. Klodian Xhaferi is still wanted by the police.
