Turk and Albanian convicted of smuggling migrants
A mixed panel of judges at the Prizren Basic Court, composed of EULEX and local judges, sentenced two people to prison for smuggling migrants, while a third was acquitted.
(kosovocompromisestuff) Friday, August 23, 2013
Turkish citizen Okay Altuntas was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and Kosovo Albanian Bujar Fazliu to three years. Both were cleared on charges of organized crime, money laundering and another count of migrant smuggling.The third defendant, Fljorent Ademaj, was acquitted on all charges, EULEX said in a release on Thursday.EULEX Prosecutor Alister Cumming welcomed the guilty verdict against two of the accused, but said the prosecution was disappointed with some aspects of the judges' decision.Still, this case is not over. The trial against another defendant will take place in October, and a number of accused are in court detention. We will study the court's decision carefully and decide whether to appeal, said Cumming.The Kosovo police and EULEX worked very hard on this case, in cooperation with other police services across Europe, added the prosecutor.
