Albanian murderer who posed as a Kosovan asylum seeker and lived off UK benefits for 14 years should be deported, judge rules

AN Albanian murderer who posed as a Kosovan asylum seeker to gain UK citizenship should be extradited, a judge ruled.

One-legged Saliman Barci, 41, has been living off benefits for 14 years and "deliberately misled" UK immigration authorities with a false alias and passport.

The dad of three fled here after killing Perparim Ibrahimi and Artur Gjoka with a military rifle in 1997, but was later convicted in his absence.

He lured the victims to their deaths in Burrel, northern Albania, with the promise of 60million Leks, equivalent to £340,000.

When new evidence came to light, he was convicted of both murders and illegally possessing military weapons and sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2009.

However, the High Court in Tirana quashed his conviction in 2013 and sent the case to Albania's Appeal Court.

Barci, who had been using the alias Saimir Basha, was arrested in the UK after Albanian prosecutors requested his extradition on 17 July 2015.

He hobbled into the dock today using a walking stick and waved to his three children in the public gallery at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Judge Zani said: "I have considered all of the arguments very ably made on your behalf as well as the elements you have given me, but I'm afraid I have rejected each of them."

In his written ruling, he said: "(Barci) agreed that he deliberately misled the UK authorities in relation to these applications.

"He also inaccurately told them he was from Kosovo rather than Albania as he believed this would enhance his chances of being successful in those applications."

He continued: "Salman Barci started that the reason why he adopted - and then maintained - a false identity in the UK was because his life had been threatened by members of one of the families of the two deceased persons in respect of whose murder he has been convicted in Albania."

Barci tried to fight extradition using rights enshrined by the European Convention on Human Rights as well as citing parts of the Extradition Act 2003.