January 9th tragedy boat driver arrested
11/11/2011 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
Italian authorities arrested in Rome the 31-year-old Albanian who is
suspected as one of the drivers of the motorboat that caused the tragedy
of 9 January 2004, when 21 people who were traveling to Italy died in
the Otranto Channel.
The Italian authorities confirmed for Top Channel that the person under their custody was Altin Budaj, born in Vlore on 29 June 1980. He was only 24 years old when he participated in the trip for which the victims had paid 1500 EUR each.
Budaj had presented fake documents during a routine control, but the fingerprints discovered his past. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison from the Albanian Court, for one of the most painful events of the Albanian emigration.
The Italian Police arrested another responsible of this tragedy on 5 December 2007. Naim Zyka was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Top Channel
