The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has accepted the appeal of the Albanian state regarding the extradition to Albania of persons suspected of being part of the group that organized and participated in the murder of businessman Ardian Nikulaj, in Lezha, in 2023.
At the center of the case are Edmond Haxhia, suspected of organizing and ordering the assassination, as well as British citizens Harry Simpson, Thomas Mithan, Steven Hunt and Harriet Bridgeman, who are suspected of having observed the target before the assassination.
Part of the file is also Portuguese Ruben Saraiva, suspected of being Nikulaj's executioner. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lezha Court.
After identifying the suspects, Albanian authorities requested their extradition from the United Kingdom for the criminal offenses of "murder due to blood feud" and "illegal production and possession of firearms and ammunition."
The requests were certified by the British Home Secretary, but during the extradition proceedings there was confusion regarding the charge for which extradition was requested. At the end of the hearing, the request was considered to be based on the charge of “premeditated murder”, and not “murder due to blood feud”.
The District Court decided to send the case to the Secretary of the Interior to decide on extradition. The latter ordered the extradition of the persons to Albania.
However, the suspects appealed the decision, challenging the procedure followed due to the inconsistency between Albania's initial requests and the subsequent extradition orders. The British High Court accepted their arguments and overturned the extradition orders.
Faced with this decision, Albania and the British Home Secretary appealed to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
After a preliminary review of the case, the Supreme Court has decided to accept the appeal and register it for review. Its decision is expected to determine whether the procedures followed so far can move forward with the extradition of the suspects to Albania./ TCh
