He was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of Azem Hajdar, Izet Haxhia appeals to the Supreme Court, here is the 24-year saga of his clashes with Berisha and the attempt to eliminate him in 2019 when he would sue the former prime minister 

The former bodyguard of the "de facto" leader of the DP, Sali Berisha in the years 1992-1998, Izet Haxhia is seeking innocence from Albanian justice in connection with the murder of the democratic deputy, Azem Hajdari on September 12, 1998. Yesterday, one of the ex- Berisha's most trusted people at the time when he was president and then leader of the opposition, appealed to the Supreme Court for the decision of the Court of Appeal of Tirana, which on October 31, 2022 upheld the verdict of the first instance, which found Haxha guilty of the so-called "Murder of the Century", sentencing him to 21 years in prison. The famous former bodyguard was found guilty of the criminal offense of "premeditated murder", committed in cooperation. He was also a protagonist in the coup attempt on September 14, 1998, where DP militants and many citizens tried to overthrow the government of Fatos Nano. Currently, the justice decided that the killer of the "Hero of Democracy" Azem Hajdari was Jaho Mulosmani, who has been serving a life sentence since 2002. The "Hajdari" case has been a long judicial and political ordeal for 20 years, where there have been allegations of distortion of the process, manipulation of evidence, and above all, the refusal of Sali Berisha to give his testimony, in the capacity of the person who knows about the event.
From collaborator to enemy, how did Izet Haxhia turn into Berisha's hated man?
On September 14, 1998, the US State Department threatened Berisha that it would not recognize him as the leader of Albania if he took power by force. After withdrawing his militants and supporters from the Prime Minister's Office and the Albanian Radio Television building, Berisha began to "flee" his collaborators. Initially, he accused Prime Minister Fatos Nano, Speaker of Parliament Skënder Gjinushi, the head of the National Information Service Fatos Klosi, as the organizers of Hajdar's murder, while the leader of the opposition pointed the finger at Jaho Mulosmani as the shooter. In fact, the murders of Hajdar, bodyguards Blerim Çera and Naim Çangu, and the wounding of Zenel Neza, were carried out by Fatmir Haklaj, former police commissioner in Tropoja. Berisha did not hesitate to blame his colleague, to whom he had entrusted his life, Izeta Haxhina, as the person who ambushed Hajdar on the evening of September 12, 1998 in front of the DP headquarters, where he was shot dead. Izet Haxhia, who appears openly in the events of September 14, 1998 and in the images of the media, was accused by the Albanian state of being one of the organizers of the "coup" of 1998. In 1999, he left Albania and settled in Turkey . From this moment, his relations with Berisha worsened, so much so that he began to accuse him not only of the murder of Azem Hajdari and September 14, 1998, but also of many other serious events. he left Albania and settled in Turkey. From this moment, his relations with Berisha worsened, so much so that he began to accuse him not only of the murder of Azem Hajdari and September 14, 1998, but also of many other serious events. he left Albania and settled in Turkey. From this moment, his relations with Berisha worsened, so much so that he began to accuse him not only of the murder of Azem Hajdari and September 14, 1998, but also of many other serious events.
"Murder of the century", Mulosmani was sentenced to life, Haxhia to 25 and then to 21 years in prison
In 2002, the Court of Tirana sentenced Jaho Mulosmani, the former head of the Tropoja police station, Izet Haxhina to 25 years in prison, Ismet Haxhina to 15 years in prison and Isamedin Haxhina for carrying weapons without a permit. Fatmir Meta, the former chief of the police of Tropoja, was declared innocent. In 2016, Ismet Haxhia benefited from amnesty, while Izeti and Jaho remained guilty. In 2006, Izet Haxhia was arrested by the Turkish police after being declared internationally wanted by the Albanian state. He sought asylum in Turkey claiming that his life was in danger in his homeland. But, in 2018, Turkish justice approved the request for Haxhi's extradition from the Albanian state, after the decision to fundamentally retry the murder of Azem Hajdari. Haxjia was brought in May 2018 in handcuffs and sent to prison 302. Although he requested that Sali Berisha or family members of Azem Hajdari come to the court, Haxhi's 12 requests to be released from the cell were not accepted. On February 11, 2022, the Court of Tirana sentenced Izet Haxhina to 21 years in prison for the "Murder of the Century". Although he appealed the decision in the Court of Appeal of Tirana together with his lawyer Idajet Beqiri, Haxhia was again sentenced to 21 years in prison. Based on the Criminal Code, he will also be credited with the time spent in custody.
The murder of Azem Hajdari, many mysteries still unanswered, Berisha did not testify
The way the murder of Azem Hajdari happened, but also the judicial process for its disclosure, were followed by great dilemmas of disbelief. Hajdar lost a private phone he used, his bodyguard Zenel Neza was interrogated by Berisha in the hospital on the night of the crime, but never signed the testimony and left Albania with his family, Berisha never testified, nor did his adviser Linda Ihsani, who witnessed the crime, was never questioned by justice. She died years later. Also, a pair of shell casings were found at the scene. Although it has been publicly accepted that Fatmir Haklaj killed Hajdar, the justice billed the authorship of the crime to Jaho Mulosmani. In 2002, there were rumors that Berisha and Nano made a secret pact to close the "Hajdari" case with the conviction of Mulosman and the Haxhia brothers. On the other hand, Berisha denounced Mulosman as Hajdar's killer and there are claims that he saw the scene of the crime from his office. But these questions were left unanswered to this day. Berisha was in conflict with Fatmir Haklaj's tribe, as he was accused by them of ordering the murder of Fatmir's brother, Shkëlqim Haklaj. They also blamed Azem Hajdari, but a few days before he was killed, Azem Hajdari met with Haklaj's father, Muharrem, and excused himself for killing his son. Over the years, the sons of the Haklaj tribe were mysteriously eliminated one after another. For these events, the finger of blame was pointed at the political class led by Nano and Berisha. Berisha was in conflict with Fatmir Haklaj's tribe, as he was accused by them of ordering the murder of Fatmir's brother, Shkëlqim Haklaj. They also blamed Azem Hajdari, but a few days before he was killed, Azem Hajdari met with Haklaj's father, Muharrem, and excused himself for killing his son. Over the years, the sons of the Haklaj tribe were mysteriously eliminated one after another. For these events, the finger of blame was pointed at the political class led by Nano and Berisha. Berisha was in conflict with Fatmir Haklaj's tribe, as he was accused by them of ordering the murder of Fatmir's brother, Shkëlqim Haklaj. They also blamed Azem Hajdari, but a few days before he was killed, Azem Hajdari met with Haklaj's father, Muharrem, and excused himself for killing his son. Over the years, the sons of the Haklaj tribe were mysteriously eliminated one after another. For these events, the finger of blame was pointed at the political class led by Nano and Berisha.
Haxhi's lawyer: They tried to kill Izet in 2019 when he was going to sue Berisha
On October 11, 2019, while he was going from prison 313 to the Serious Crimes Prosecutor's Office, to sue Berisha for 23 crimes, the vehicle transporting Haxhi crashed. His lawyer, Idajet Beqiri, claimed that there were clear attempts to eliminate his client, in order to intimidate him not to testify. However, the Director of Prisons at that time, Agim Ismaili, denied the news that Haxhia had an accident.