Another session is being held this Friday against the former Minister of Defense Fatmir Mediu, for the murderous explosion at the armaments dismantling factory in Gerdec near the capital, as eight people gave their testimony today.
Up to now in the trial of former minister Fatmir Mediu, Caje Çiku, a former worker at the Gërdec factory, and Zabit Cuku, a former soldier, supervisor for the separation of shells, have testified, according to Top Channel journalist Anila Hoxha, who is following the 2008 tragedy process where 26 people were killed, including minors who worked illegally at the plant.
Witness Caje Çiku said: I was employed from June 2007 to 2008 in the cartridge sector, and then I moved inside to washing shells in the warehouse. We didn’t have work contracts and they didn’t ask for any documents. That day I was inside and it was lunch time. We saw a fire outside the building and ran away to Fushë Prezë. The materials were transported in carts there, we had heard that the carts were welded, but I don’t know myself.
Lawyer: Were there tools to put out the fire, extinguishers?
Witness: I answered earlier, there were no means to put out the fire in the plant. I have not seen a fire another time, I only heard that the carts were damaged, but we were in a different group.
The lawyer of former minister Mediu: The lady stated in the first testimony that she did not know the meaning of ‘wave of explosion’ and I request that the first testimony given at that time be contradicted.
Former soldier Zabit Cuku: I was 20-30 meters away from the gunpowder pile that day. There was a very large amount of gunpowder on the square, tons i can tell. Veizi or Vangjeli was the one who divided my work and Dritan (Minxolli) directed them. I have experience in dismantling sea mines, in Gërdec I dismantled shells and weapons with only the strength of my arm and a mechanical spanner.
“On the day of the event, there was a lot of gunpowder because the other group did not take it away. I warned them to remove the gunpowder because it was time for lunch. At 12 o’clock I heard a woman screaming that there was a fire. I saw white smoke like that of gunpowder and then I told my workers to run away and I myself ran away. I was injured in the head by shells sharpnels, from the second explosion. A piece of shell caught my head and I broke my leg. We used to dismantle there from 127 to 152 types of shells”, the witness added.
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