SPAK has closed the investigation into the murder of Fatbardh Lici and sent it to the Criminal Court of Kosovo. The defendants for whom SPAK is requesting the trial to begin are Safet Bajri, Behar Bajri, Astmer Bilali and Eria Ago. Fatbardh Lici, who was killed about 7 years ago, is suspected of being a victim of the ongoing conflict between the Lici and Bajri tribes in Shkodra.
Safet Bajri was previously detained by the justice authorities during the "Oaz" operation conducted by the former Serious Crimes Prosecutor's Office, but was later released. He has also been convicted in Belgium, while in recent weeks his apartment in Dobrac has been searched several times by order of SPAK, as part of several criminal proceedings.
The clash of the Bajri-Liçi tribes?
Clashes between the Bajri and Lici tribes are suspected to have started since the January 2018 assassination attempt on businessman Lulzim Kulla. The remote-controlled explosion injured eight people, including Kulla.
On July 15, 2018, the couple Boran Bërçana and Silva Ndoci were executed under the apartment they rented, while a 3-year-old child was also in the car with them, who miraculously escaped the bullets. Former police officer Bërçana was suspected of having ties to the Bajri group and was suspected of being involved in the assassination attempt on Lul Kulla in January 2018. The murder is suspected to have been committed by the Lici tribe in Shkodra.
On August 10, 2018, Fatbardh Lici, a member of the Lici family, brother of the strongman Sokol Lici and member of the Shkodra Municipal Council, Mustafa Lici, was murdered. This murder is suspected to have come as revenge by the Bajri tribe after the murder of former police officer Bërcana.
On August 23, citizens Agron Mollaj and Gëzim Hysa, nephew and uncle, disappeared, and have not been found to this day. These two citizens are suspected of having ties to the Lici tribe. Then comes the murder of Arjan Ferracak, who was shot while riding his horse in the Livadhe area on September 1, 2018. Arjan Ferracak, a few minutes before he was killed, had communicated with Astrit Bilal and the latter had called him to go out on horseback.
On November 14, Fatos Ferracak, cousin of Arjan Ferracak, was murdered. Fatos Ferracak was murdered in broad daylight, while selling fish in the "Rus" neighborhood.
On March 20, another murder occurs, as Ferdinand Polia is executed with 20 bullets, but it is a murder that has been solved by the Police and there is no connection to the clashes of the Bajri-Lici groups, but to some events that occurred in Italy, where the victim was part of a criminal group there, 9 years ago. Then the murder saga continued with the murder of Endri Mustafa and the author is suspected to be Ibrahim Lici again.
Hamza Lici is the brother of Ibrahim Lici, who according to the police is the main perpetrator of the assassination attempt on the brothers Astrit and Brahim Bilali, an event that occurred on March 30, 2019. They were executed at the gate of their house with Kalashnikov rifle fire and the event was investigated as a clash between rival gangs in Shkodër. He is also suspected of being the perpetrator of Endri Mustafa.
Astrit Bilali, who died along with his brother on March 30, 2019, is the father of Astmer Bilali, the former boxing champion arrested as part of the "Bajri" group in Shkodra. Meanwhile, the victim Endri Mustafa was friends with Astmer Bilali, and their names appear together in several criminal incidents.
On June 18, citizen Mehdi Kavaja was killed in his garage while repairing car locks, a suspected revenge killing. The perpetrator of that incident is still unknown, while the lock repairman was shot in the head, dying at the scene.
Safet Bajri was arrested on February 21, 2025. Along with the measure of "prison arrest", the GJKKO has also approved, at the request of SPAK, the performance of a DNA analysis of Safet Bajri. According to reports, on the day he was brought from Shkodra to the Tirana police, the expert who was to take the DNA samples was also present, but was not allowed at that moment by the arrested person, who requested that it be done on another day.
The Special Prosecution's announcement, after the execution of the arrest measures against them, stated that Safet and Behar Bajri and Asmer Bilal are charged with "Premeditated Murder", "Structured Criminal Group" and "Commitment of Criminal Offenses by Structured Criminal Organizations and Groups".
The three are accused of having committed the murder of Fatbardh Lici. SPAK has announced that it has selected evidence to shed light on Lici's execution. The prosecutor's announcement also stated that the motive for his murder is suspected to be related to the fact that Behar Bajri framed Ibrahim Lici for the murder of former state army officer Boran Bërçana. The latter was executed together with his cohabitant, Silva Ndoci, in their vehicle.
