A powerful explosion at the weapons dismantling factory in Gërdec shook not only the outskirts, but also the heart of Tirana.
Flames, smoke, then screams and chaos. 26 dead, hundreds injured and homes destroyed by the explosion.
This was the tragic balance that occurred on March 15, 18 years ago, in the village of Gërdec, just across the Vora River.
A Saturday that for many could have been a normal day off. But for the employees of the weapons dismantling factory in Gërdec, it was a normal working day, which would turn into an unforgettable nightmare.
The explosion would forever change the lives of some of them, leaving scars and pain. While a story of state corruption would surface, one that has not yet been fully uncovered.
Children also lost their lives in the explosion, including Erison Durdaj, 7 years old, as well as the butler of then-prime minister Sali Berisha.
The investigations brought 29 defendants to the courtroom, the most prominent of which were former MEICOS director Ylli Pinari, businessman Mihal Delijorgji, director of the dismantling factory Dritan Minxolli, former Chief of the Army General Staff Luan Hoxha, as well as several other military personnel.
While Luan Hoxha chose to flee the country and seek political asylum in the United States of America, the other defendants faced justice and were sentenced to sentences that many called ridiculous in relation to human lives.
Fatmir Mediu, Minister of Defense at the time, resigned and although he was indicted, he was able to escape charges through procedure.
Feruzan Durdaj and Zamira Durdaj, the parents of little Erison who lost his life in the Gërdec tragedy, never stopped seeking justice.
They put SPAK in motion and demanded an investigation into the incident and the bringing to justice of those responsible.
The Special Prosecution Office took the defendant and handed over for trial former Minister of Defense Fatmir Mediu, currently a member of Parliament.
Mediu is facing justice for the criminal offenses of "Abuse of office", committed in collaboration, as well as "Abuse of office" in collaboration with a military entity - commanding cadre.
"The defendant Fatmir Mediu is accused of having, in connection with the process of demilitarization and dismantling of ammunition that took place in the premises of the former 'Tank Brigade', in the village of Gërdec, Municipality of Vora, in collaboration with other officials of the Ministry of Defense as well as persons who held the quality of military commanding officers, issued several by-laws in violation of the law and the Council of Ministers No. 138, dated 14.03.2007 'On the procedure for handling weapons, equipment and equipment of the armed forces, removed from armament and use, regarding the sale for dismantling and demilitarization of a quantity of ammunition', which have damaged the legitimate interests of the state and have brought unfair advantages to the companies SAC inc and Albademil sh.pk", SPAK announced.
Fatmir Mediu denies the charges and regularly appears in court at the Special Court.
During the process, the testimonies of many people were heard, while there was also a debate about a fax with the inscription "For Shkëlzeni", sent by the Ministry of Justice to the Defense institution.
Shkëlzen Berisha, the son of former Prime Minister Berisha, has also given testimony in the trial.
While the process is ongoing, SPAK announced at the time that further actions were taken during the investigation regarding the procedure for the sale of combat ammunition by the Ministry of Defense and the MEICO company to the foreign companies "Evdin" Ltd, headquartered in Cyprus, and "AEY", headquartered in Florida.
Regarding this episode, the preliminary investigations have not been completed and the criminal case has been decided to be separated, registering criminal proceedings no. 279/1 of 2023, for the criminal offenses "Passive corruption of high-ranking state officials or local elected officials" and "Laundering of the proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity".
But even though at least 3 years have passed, there is still no final answer to the outcome of this isolated case.
The tragedy of Gërdec remains an unpunished crime.
The families of the 26 victims continue to seek justice.
And the question that remains unresolved after so many years is the same: who will be held accountable for the greed that killed in Gërdec?
