Young judge gets blown up in the city of Vlora

Alfred Kola

VLORA - A young judge died Friday morning when his car blew up on the main avenue in the city of Vlora, Albania. Skerdilajd Konomi, 33, was headed for work at the District Court when half a kilo TNT explosive device placed under the driver’s seat was detonated, apparently by a remote control. Both largest televisions in Albania, Top Channel and Vizion+, aired shocking images, live from the scene, only seconds after the explosion. These images showed how people rushed to help the victim out of the burning vehicle and placed it in an old police van to take it to the hospital. Emergency services and paramedics never showed up on the crime scene.

This assassination proved that, even though millions of dollars have been spent to modernize the police, fire-fighting units and emergency services, they have remained slack and totally unequipped, with untrained and neglecting personnel, and total lack of expertise; a testimony of massive corruption in these sectors. 

It is the first time that a judge becomes a victim of Mafia-style assassinations in Albania. In the last six months the crime rate in the city of Vlora has soared and the car blasts are very common. Local opposition leaders also have been targets of such crimes.

But the assassination of the judge in Vlora rings an alarm bells for another reason. Judge only presided over civil cases and if the motives are work-related and unlinked to the organized crime, then the easy access to explosives and home made bombs by individuals proves how bad the situation of public order in Albania is. 

The authorities across the board, including the President, prime minister and Speaker of parliament, condemned the murder of a member of justice system and expressed condolences to the family. The Supreme Court of Albania issued a statement strongly condemning the assassination, what sort of sounded like a mockery, because this court has acquitted almost all most dangerous criminals when the cases have gone for trial to this court letting them walk free and unpunished by the same justice system.  

The new Justice Minister Eduart Halimi said that the investigating team is doing “an excellent work (!)” and that there is evidence on the crime scene. Then, the minister got really confused when he said that “the family and authorities will have the government assistance in finding the perpetrator”, seemingly forgetting that the government’s service is not a favor but an obligation and that the government will be doing just its job.

The assassination in a Mafia-style way of a young judge warns of difficult times lying ahead for the law and order in Albania and is a clear sign that law enforcement authorities are performing poorly and irresponsibly.