Albanian MP's Brother Convicted of Murdering Policeman

Arben Frroku is believed to have fled Albania following the Serious Crimes Court's first instance ruling on April 3rd, which found him not guilty of the murder of a policeman.

Genc Gjokutaj, his lawyer, said that the court had been under political pressure and he would appeal to the Supreme Court.

"We cannot talk about a dependent or independent court in this case but rather a court under pressure," he said.

"We will follow the legal route and appeal the verdict, but I have no idea where my client is," Gjokutaj added.

Police are expected to issue an international warrant for Frroku's arrest.

Forty-one-year-old Lamaj was killed by gunfire from an AK-47 assault rifle after parking his car outside his apartment in the Vasil Shanto neighbourhood of Tirana.

Frroku, a businessman with a history of conflicts with Lamaj, was arrested in Thessaloniki, Greece, one day later and extradited to Albania.

During his 18-year police career, Lamaj had held several important positions in the Albanian police. He headed the police station of the sixth district of Tirana before his transfer to the force's general directorate.

Frroku's younger brother, Mark Frroku, who is an MP in parliament, was arrested in April for perjury concerning allegations of a fake murder plot against two MPs, but also based on an arrest warrant from Belgium where he is accused of a murder in 1999.

A Brussels court judged him guilty of the premeditated murder of an Albanian citizen, Aleksander Kurti, in March 1999, in collaboration with three others.