Second Part of Klecka Case Sent for Retrial

Kosovo’s Supreme Court has ordered a retrial against six defendants in the second part of the so-called Klecka case, the EU rule of law mission, EULEX announced.“The Supreme Court panel granted the appeal of the EULEX Special Prosecutor and annulled the verdict of the first instance court which had acquitted Arben Krasniqi, Behlul Limaj, Refki Mazreku, Sabit Shala, Shaban Shala and Besim Shurdhaj,” EULEX said in a press release.

The Klecka case was divided in two parts by the District Court of Pristina and two verdicts were pronounced.

The court at that time declared the evidence of Agim Zogaj as inadmissible and acquitted all defendants through both verdicts.

The defendants were charged, among other things, with war crimes against the civilian population and prisoners of war.

On Tuesday, the mixed panel of three EULEX judges and two local judges, presided over by a EULEX judge at the Supreme Court also ruled as admissible the evidence of Agim Zogaj, also known as “Witness X”, and the evidence seized upon the search in the premises of Naser Krasniqi and Fatmir Limaj.

Last month the Supreme Court sent the case back for retrial for the other four defendants acquitted by the District Court of Pristina through one of the verdicts in this case.

On November 26 the Pristina’s District Court ordered one month detention on remand for former KLA members, Fatmir Limaj, Naser Krasniqi, Nexhmi Krasniqi and Naser Shala.

Limaj, a MP of Kosovo’s Democratic Party and one of the party’s deputy chiefs, also faced war crime charges at the Hague Tribunal, ICTY.

He was acquitted in November 2005 and was welcomed in Kosovo as a hero.