Peja- Witness Ilir Lulaj said that he did not notice if the now accused Kreshnik Haliti had planned the murder of the now deceased Mentor Zekaj.

Witness Lulaj made this statement on Monday at the retrial session in the Basic Court in Peja.

Kreshnik Haliti is being accused that in March 2017, due to a dispute they had between themselves, regarding a debt of nearly 77 thousand euros, he intentionally and with the purpose of gaining material benefit has deprived him of life, now the late Mentor Zekaj.

Witness Lulaj was summoned by the defense counsel of the accused Haliti, lawyer Besnik Berisha, to clarify before the trial panel the meeting of the witness with the accused Haliti moments before the accused committed the criminal offense and to oppose the prosecution's claim that the accused had prepared the murder of the now deceased.

The witness confessed that on the critical day near the promenade of the city of Peja he saw the accused Haliti happy, who had told the witness that he was going to have coffee with Berat Thaqi and had invited him for coffee.

The witness confirmed his previous statement that at that moment a white car had arrived and the person driving the car whom the witness said he did not know, had called the accused Haliti by name, and the latter had then ridden in the car.

"I was close.

"Kreshnik also told the person who was in the car that he was going to drink coffee", said the witness.

The witness added that the person who had called the defendant had not gotten out of the car and that he had not noticed any discomfort with the accused.

Answering the questions of lawyer Berisha, the witness explained that he was surprised to hear that Kreshnik had committed the murder, when according to the witness, the accused at that moment was happy and did not notice that he was in any way prepared to commit any murder.

The next hearing was scheduled for July 20, 2022.

The Basic Court in Peja, on July 4, 2018, had found guilty the accused Kreshnik Haliti, against whom he had imposed a unique sentence of 22 years and six months in prison, on charges of aggravated murder and illegal possession of weapons.

However, the Court of Appeals annulled the first instance judgment, arguing that the judgment was involved in a violation of criminal procedure and incomplete determination of the factual situation.

Kreshnik Haliti is accused that on March 6, 2017, in the street "Myrvete Maksutaj", in Peja, intentionally and in order to gain material benefit, he deprived of life the victim, now the late Mentor Zekaj.

According to the indictment, these actions came due to a dispute between the now deceased MZ and the defendant Kreshnik Haliti, regarding a debt of about 77 thousand euros.

According to the indictment, on the critical day prepared for the murder, the defendant called the victim to go to the center of Peja, in which case the victim went and took the defendant in his car, where they talked about the debt in the car. as soon as they reached the critical place, the defendant hit him twice with a revolver of the model "Pietro Beretta M-70", caliber 7.65x17mm.

For this, he is accused of having committed the criminal offense of "aggravated murder", according to Article 179, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, which provides for a sentence of not less than ten years imprisonment or life imprisonment, the oath of office announces.