The Kosovo Court of Appeals has reduced the sentence of Tom Dodajt, accused of selling the weapon with which Liridona Ademaj was allegedly killed, in a plan hatched by her suspected husband, Naim Murseli (pictured), in November 2023.
Dodaj, who had pleaded guilty to the crime of unauthorized sale of weapons, was sentenced in February 2025 to five years in prison and a 5,000 euro fine. The appeal reduced the sentence to three years in prison and a 3,000 euro fine.
According to the decision, the Appeals Court assessed the sentence imposed by the first instance as a "harsh punishment". As factors for reducing the sentence, the Court cited Dodaj's admission of guilt, his apology to the victim's family and the fact that "he had not been aware of what the weapon he had sold would be used for", informs Radio Free Europe.
"Also, this court found that this is the first time that the accused has violated the law. Therefore, such circumstances in their unity show that even with a lower sentence, now determined as in the provision, the punitive purpose envisaged by the provision of Article 38 of the Code of Criminal Procedure can be achieved," said the Court of Appeal.
During the sentencing hearing, Dodajt's lawyer, Agron Kuçi, stated that his client had not previously known the defendants, but had only realized that the weapon he had sold had been used for murder after the media published the case of Liridona's murder.
Three people are being charged with the murder of Liridona Ademaj: the 30-year-old's husband, Naim Murseli, Granit Plava as the perpetrator, and Kushtrim Kokalla.
Murseli and Kokalla pleaded not guilty during the court session, while Plava refused to plead guilty.
How did the murder happen?
Liridona Ademaj was killed at the age of 30 on November 29, 2023 on a street in the village of Bërnicë, Pristina.
The indictment charges Mursel with planning the murder of his wife for the purpose of revenge and financial gain from a life insurance policy in Sweden, in the amount of approximately 260 thousand euros.
According to the Prosecution, Murseli planned the murder in collaboration with Kushtrim Kokalla and Granit Plava, promising them a reward of 30 thousand euros to carry out the crime.
Kokalla is accused of having introduced Murseli to the hitman Plava. Plava is accused of having committed the murder. The murder of Liridona Ademaj caused public outrage, especially after her husband attended the funeral.
The family requested that her body be exhumed for burial in the Ademaj family cemetery. Since 2010, about 60 women have been killed in Kosovo – most by their husbands.
Human rights organizations criticize the justice system for lenient sentences for perpetrators - which, they say, emboldens the perpetrators.
