The chairman of the Opportunity Party, Agron Shehaj, has been convicted by the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) for the criminal offense of insult.

According to the court’s ruling, Shehaj was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of 300,000 ALL, which includes court costs.

The court acquitted him of the charge of defamation.

The case began following a lawsuit filed by Adriatik Lapaj, who accused Shehaj of defamation in relation to public statements alleging Lapaj’s links to figures from the criminal underworld.

In his statements, Agron Shehaj had accused Lapaj of benefiting 45 million lekë from the company “Merkaj 3 shpk,” which was seized by SPAK after being suspected of being used for money laundering by a criminal group known as the “Çopjat.”

For his part, Adriatik Lapaj denied the accusations, stating that he did not receive any money and that the amounts mentioned relate to alleged obligations for legal services provided as a lawyer to the company in question.

After reviewing the case, the court ruled to convict Shehaj for insult, thus concluding the judicial process at the first instance. /noa.al