Franc Gergely, also known as Franc Copja, will stand trial at the Brussels Assize Court from 5 January, alongside eight other defendants, for the fatal shooting of Ardit Spahiu in Molenbeek on 27 November 2020.
Gergely and Spahiu, both Albanian nationals, were part of rival clans involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking.
Gergely, aged 33, and Mikael Qosja, aged 39, are accused of leading an organisation formed with intent to carry out murders. The other seven defendants are charged with participating in this organisation.
Spahiu, aged 38, was shot outside a café on Avenue Condor, Molenbeek, on the afternoon of 27 November 2020, when a gunman emerged from a vehicle and fired at him. Spahiu was struck by nine bullets, causing 18 ballistic wounds, and died at the scene.
Spahiu had fled to Belgium in 2019, fearing for his safety in Albania, where clashes between the Copja and Alibey clans had led to several contract killings linked to cocaine trafficking.
In June 2021, Belgian investigators used data retrieved from Sky ECC servers to connect several individuals to Spahiu’s murder, including Gergely, who was linked to three Sky ECC signals.
On 30 December 2023, Gergely was extradited from Dubai to Belgium to face trial. He had been living in Dubai since 2019, claiming to have moved there to pursue business ventures in textiles and automobiles.
This marked the first extradition from the United Arab Emirates to Belgium for detention ahead of judicial proceedings, with subsequent extraditions taking place thereafter.
Gergely has been held at Haren Prison since his return. He has no criminal record in Belgium but is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Albanian authorities on 3 September 2024 for charges of murder and leading a criminal organisation involved in international drug trafficking.
The trial will be held under tight security at the Justitia complex, formerly the NATO site repurposed as a courthouse, which also hosted the trial of the Brussels terrorist attacks and hearings in the Encro/Sky ECC case.
Out of the nine accused, three are fugitives—Mikael Qosja, Flobenc Mecja, and Hakim El Masbahi. Four others are in preventive detention in Belgium: Gergely in Haren Prison, Eljo Bitri in Marche-en-Famenne, Blerim Mamutaj in Nivelles, and Elton Roci under electronic monitoring.
The trial, expected to last a month, will open on Monday, 5 January, at 2 pm with jury selection. Formal debates are scheduled to begin on Thursday, 8 January, at 9 am.
