FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
When George Gannon learned that his daughter, Beçie, had died in a horrific holiday tragedy in Albania, he dropped everything to catch the first flight.
But his search for the truth has cost him almost everything. The heartbroken father has spent an estimated £90,000 waiting for answers and today he claims he was also beaten by men linked to the gangster who organised his daughter's fatal journey.
He claims that his ribs were broken as a result of the violence when people associated with the Albanian gangster attacked him as he left a restaurant. Gannon claims that they threatened to kill him if he did not leave the country.
But George says he "will never, ever give up" until he gets the justice he demands.
"I don't care what happens to me. Nothing could hurt me more than Beçie's death," he says.
Beçie, 29, died while on a diving expedition with her boyfriend Robert Kerans, when she dived into the water in the Gulf of Saranda to see a wrecked ship in September 2022.
She had dived all over the world and chose to book a trip organized by Saimir Kushova, who boasted that he had the only company licensed by the Albanian government.
Within minutes of boarding, both Rebecca and Robert began to suspect the poor condition of their equipment with old life jackets and half-empty oxygen tanks.
Becie's parents, George, 64, and Gillian, 63, from Stone, Staffordshire, were told their daughter had died.
George immediately flew to Albania, where he pleaded with prosecutors for more than a year to arrest Kushova.
The next thing George heard was that Kushova had been imprisoned for 15 years in Norway on drug charges.
He was part of a gang of six people arrested in Husnes in 2023, who tried to take 150 kg of cocaine from a Brazilian ship off the coast of Norway.
Beçie was an experienced diver, accustomed to depths greater than those at which she drowned.
George recalls, “When I first went to Albania after Beçie died, I would see this guy in the cafes, laughing with his friends. The Albanian police kept telling me to leave because they thought I was there to kill him. I told them that’s not how justice works in Britain and that I wanted to go to trial. I can’t believe he was given bail. He just didn’t show up to register at the police station and left the country. Then we found out he was imprisoned in Norway. The way they’ve treated us is appalling.”
George claims he was attacked three times by men associated with Kusova and his Diving Center.
"The first time I had just left a restaurant and these three men were standing around. They threw me on the ground and kicked and punched me. I couldn't understand what they were saying because I don't speak the language, but someone nearby who spoke English told me that they had said they were friends of Kushova and that I had better leave the country or they would kill me. I had a broken jaw and ribs, but I refuse to leave here until I see him imprisoned for what happened to my daughter," he says.
George spent two years living in the seaside resort of Saranda, where Beçie died, and returned home last Christmas, before being summoned again for a series of hearings that have been postponed.
"We spent about £90,000 living here and on flights back and forth and we lost the business."
My daughter died and no one seems to care at all. It's no joke.
We are talking about a British citizen who came to Albania for vacation and never returned, while the accused lives in a comfortable prison in Norway for committing another serious crime.
I am representing myself in court because we can no longer afford a lawyer.
I don't know how much longer I can put up with all these delays.
"Where is the justice in all this? Can someone please tell me? I'm having a hard time understanding it."
Beçie, who had undertaken diving expeditions all over the world, was used to diving to depths of 30 meters. When she drowned, she was only 7 meters deep.
Her boyfriend, who emerged from the water due to ear problems, said she had resurfaced "in a panic, calling for help" before she died.
Witnesses said Kushova jumped into the water to save Beçie along with other members of the group. They tried to give her rapid breathing while Robert watched.
Kushova has been accused of violating health and safety regulations and employing an unqualified diving instructor.
The family says a new trial date has been set for next month.
George was helped in his battle for justice by Albanian journalist Muhamed Veliu, who demanded answers from prosecutors.
He said: “George faced a lot of closed doors. He went to the prosecutor’s office several times to ask for updates on the investigation, but no one would answer. In September last year I managed to tell George that prosecutors had asked the court for another six months to continue the investigation.” /Adapted from The Sun /
Shqiperia eshte nje vend i bukur por nuk eshte formuar akoma as shteti i se drejtes dhe as sistemi i drejtesise. Funksionon ama Kanuni. Vetem ai eshte i sigurte, i shpejte dhe fatal.