Four of the five employees of "GERTI Sh.pk" arrested after the death of miner Fari Veliu will be investigated at large or under "house arrest", while the mine safety authorities face criticism for the repeated impunity of those responsible.
The First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Dibër decided this Saturday to release four out of five technical staff members of the mining company "GERTI Sh.pk", arrested after the tragic accident that took the life of 66-year-old miner, Fari Veliu. One of those arrested after the accident, Uj. P., with the duty of shipowner, was released a day after the notification by the Dibër Police.
The prosecution requested that the arrests of these individuals in flagrante delicto be deemed lawful and that the investigations continue for some of them at large, while for others, the security measure of “house arrest” be imposed. These requests were accepted in full by Judge Flutura Çuko.
According to the decision, the persons with the initials FT, 61 years old, and B. Ç., 68 years old, will be investigated at large, while for EK, 35 years old, and E. Xh., 51 years old, the security measure "house arrest" was assigned.
The Dibra police announced on Thursday the arrest of five workers, who are accused of "violating occupational safety regulations" resulting in death, after a rock mass collapsed inside the gallery where the victim was working. The incident occurred in a gallery owned by "GERTI Sh.pk", a company managed by businessman Jeton Dani, known for his activity in the mining sector and political ties to the Socialist Party.
Sources from the Labor Inspectorate told BIRN that this is not the first time that accidents have occurred at work in this entity. In 2023 and 2024, two incidents of workers being injured were recorded – one with a broken leg and the other with a broken pelvis. However, the inspectorate does not have the authority to enter the gallery, the control there is carried out by the National Authority for Safety and Emergencies in Mines, under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy.
This is the third fatal accident in the Bulqiza and Klos area this year.
BIRN has found that similar arrests following serious accidents in the Bulqiza mines have been largely symbolic and those arrested have not been held accountable. This cycle of symbolic arrests, without real consequences for those responsible, has become a recurring practice for accidents in the mining sector, which has not led to improvements in working conditions and safety, nor justice for the victims.
Fari Veliu was one of the oldest miners in the town of Bulqiza, who – despite retirement age – had returned to the gallery due to the economic impossibility of making ends meet on his pension alone. His colleagues tell BIRN that he had decades of experience underground.
Reporter.al
