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An Albanian man wanted for murder has been granted the right to reside in the UK under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Fatmir Bleta, 64, was sentenced to 13 years in prison after leaving Albania, where he allegedly shot a man in the head with a Kalashnikov rifle.
In 1998, he left his country for the UK and applied for asylum by falsely claiming to be a Kosovar, for which he was later sentenced to 33 months and two weeks in prison.
Bleta gained British citizenship in 2017 but was convicted of making a false declaration to obtain a passport the following year and three other charges of dishonesty.
Documents seen by the Telegraf reveal that Bleta resisted extradition attempts, arguing that his return to Albania would violate his right to a fair trial, guaranteed by Art. 6 ECHR.
Fatmir Bleta, 64, was sentenced to 13 years in prison after leaving Albania after allegedly shooting a man in the head with a Kalashnikov rifle
Court documents show that in September 1998, Bleta was working as a guard at a reservoir in Albania when he and his friend were approached by a man they recognized.
Bleta then allegedly pointed a Kalashnikov rifle at the victim, even though his friend told him not to play with the gun.
Documents show that his friend witnessed him pull the trigger and shoot him in the head.
After serving his prison sentence in 2018, the Home Office tried to deport him, however it was argued that this would breach his family rights as it would be “unduely harsh” on his wife and four children, who joined him in the UK in 2000. pursuant to art. 8 ECHR.
It also emerged that two of Bleta's children had been convicted and imprisoned for drug-related offences.
Daughter Sara (28), a former actress, was sentenced to four years in prison for supplying class A and B drugs, and son Dorian (37) is serving 18 years in prison for cocaine trafficking.
British courts have now rejected Albania's extradition request, arguing that he was never arrested and that there was no evidence that he knew the date and place of his trial.
The judges agreed that there was not “sufficient” assurance that Bleta would be retried and that his return to Albania would violate his right to a fair trial.
Two judges in the final case before the higher tribunal in September agreed that Bleta had not been deliberately “absent” from Albania to avoid trial and that he would not be able to gain access to a retrial.
The Home Office's deportation appeal was therefore rejected by the judges because they found that there was a “real risk that the applicant's return would amount to a flagrant breach of Article 6 ECHR”.
At his home in west London, Bleta said he was “cleansed of everything.”
“In the courts, in both courts, I speak clearly. You're wrong, check it out. Clean up here, clean up Albania, everything,” he said.
His daughter said: “The facts are completely wrong. My father was cleared for this (for murder).
“He was blamed for it and it turns out that if you look at the papers and documentation that I can send you, he was cleared of it.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on the matter while legal proceedings are ongoing.”
