Tirana, May 29, 2025 – Erion Alibej, a key figure accused by SPAK in connection with several murders in Elbasan under the high-profile operation “Golden Bullet” (Plumbi i Artë), has testified publicly for the first time before the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime.

Now a justice collaborator, Alibej gave detailed testimony regarding his acquaintance with the notorious killer Nuredin Dumani, the bounties he offered for Talo Çela—€100,000 to kill him and €200,000 to bring him alive—and other major criminal events.

SPAK Prosecutors: Tell us about your relationship with the other justice collaborators, Nuredin Dumani and Skerdi Tasi.

Erion Alibej:

I met Nuredin Dumani after I was released from Elbasan’s detention center in early 2020. The day I got out, I spoke with Arjan Spahiu, who had a contact named Fati—known to me as Fat Katnari. I was using EncroChat and Sky ECC at the time. Arjan was in Belgium.

It was a fragile time for me because my family had recently been targeted in attacks. Arjan came to Albania and told me Dumani wanted to meet me.

I had already put the word out: I was offering €100,000 to have Talo Çela killed, or €200,000 if someone brought him to me alive.

The meeting with Nuredin was set. I gave Arjan a black Mercedes C-Class to pick him up in Katund i Ri. It was dusk. Nuredin came. I met him two floors below where I lived—my cousins stayed there because I was in hiding. The meeting lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes. He recorded the whole conversation. I listened to everything he had to say.

He told me he had heard I was looking for Talo Çela, and that Festim Qoli was also aware. I said OK and began explaining who had executed my family members.

I described the vehicle ambush where shots were fired from both sides. Dumani said Dorjan Shkoza was involved, that he had arrived in a different vehicle and opened fire from the other side. He also said Dorjan had been trailing him and Dashnor to kill them. Dumani said he had his own issues with those people. I told him I only cared about Talo Çela.

I knew the masterminds and financiers were in Dubai—the Çopja brothers, old acquaintances of ours.

Dumani told me Talo Çela had close ties with Festim Qoli and that for each killing, he (Dumani) would get half the money. I noticed he didn’t have an encrypted phone. I told Arjan, “Nuredin doesn’t have SkyECC,” so I gave him an iPhone 6 pre-installed with SkyECC, along with €50,000, and taught him how to use the app.

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This testimony further deepens the investigation into Albania’s underworld, shedding light on ties between violent criminal groups, encrypted communications, and international financing of targeted killings. Investigations are ongoing. /noa.al