Three years after British tourist Rebecca Gannon lost her life while diving in the Gulf of Saranda with the private expedition “Saranda Diving Center”, the Court of Saranda decided to pass the criminal file against professional diver Saimir Kushova for trial. Kushova has been charged with “violation of occupational safety regulations” that resulted in the death of the 29-year-old tourist. According to the prosecution, it resulted that the tourist operator did not fulfill the obligations set out in the decision of marine tourism activities, related to the process of supervising the diving activity since the equipment, which should have been verified by a competent person, did not occur in this specific case. It was found that the physical presence of the diving center staff who would observe the personal behavior of each diver and prevent or correct problems when they occur. Failure to comply with these obligations resulted in the death of Gannon, who, according to the forensic report, died of mechanical asphyxia due to water blocking her airways. Earlier, the court had returned the case file to the prosecution, arguing that the investigation was incomplete. Kushova will be tried in absentia, as she is serving a 15-year prison sentence in Norway for drug trafficking.
Rebecca's father's testimony
George Gannon, the father of Rebecca Gannon, along with his wife, has left Great Britain and moved to Saranda to closely follow the process against Saimir Kushova, whom they consider responsible for the loss of their daughter's life.
Here's what he tells investigators: "...I've been here for about two and a half years, since the girl passed away... The defendant didn't have the right diving gear. The day before, the weather wasn't good and the next day, visibility was very low again, 30%... There were 18 people going to dive and only two instructors... My daughter dived with her partner, who had problems and came out... She came out of the water, asked for help, they saw her and the person who went to help her didn't have the right gear. It took about 25 minutes to get dressed and dive again... The girl pressed the button on her life jacket, but it didn't work...".
The trial in absentia of Kušova
Saimir Kushova is reportedly in Bergen prison in Norway, serving a 15-year prison sentence. This is according to data that Interpol Oslo has made available to the Albanian authorities. According to the warrant, he was convicted by the Hordaland court as part of an organized criminal group. This group illegally imported and handled narcotics in large quantities.
