At the Basic Court in Pristina, during the trial against Naim Murseli, Kushtrim Kokalla, and Granit Plava, the afternoon session continued with the defense of the accused Plava. He said that the murder had been carried out as part of an agreement with Murseli, who had promised that he would get him out of prison after two years, claiming that he was a person with power.
Plava said that he does not stand by the statement he gave to the Police and that today he will tell the truth, reports “Betimi për Drejtësi”.
“That statement I gave was under pressure from the police,” Plava said, adding that he testified according to the agreement he had with Murseli, and that an ambulance had been called and he had been given an injection.
Responding to questions from his defense lawyer, attorney Skender Gojani, the accused Plava said that he had an agreement with Naim Murseli and that he was aware of the act for which he is now being accused.
“He never told me who the person was (that he would kill), he just told me that I would only take responsibility, nothing else. Before two years pass, I will get you out of prison — you know what kind of power I have,” Plava said.
According to him, Murseli told him that even Behgjet Pacolli had been aware of the case.
“In Naim’s words, as he told me, he said that Behgjet Pacolli was aware of this case too. ‘You know what kind of power we have,’ he told me. ‘There’s no chance you’ll stay in prison for more than two years,’” Plava said.
He claims that Murseli offered him a job, a salary of 1,300 euros, and a G-Class vehicle. He said that when he asked who he would kill, Naim allegedly told him there was no need for him to know — only to take responsibility.
Further, Plava said that the statement he gave to the Police was exactly as he had agreed with Naim Murseli.
He said he knows the other two accused — Kokalla because they are from the same village, while he knows Murseli less.
The accused said that he met Naim Murseli 7–8 times, and that on the critical day they met precisely for this agreement.
According to him, the next day he learned that the person who was killed was Naim Murseli’s wife.
“I feel sorry for what happened that day. He always said she was either Serbian or Bosniak — just that you would take the responsibility,” he said.
At the beginning, Plava said that he is in a difficult economic situation and had been a manual laborer. He said he had not previously been convicted or prosecuted for any criminal offense.
