The latest hearing in the trial against Bedri Shabani and Muharrem Qerimi, who are accused of espionage, was held today.
Police officer A.K. testified before the court, saying that he had previously worked with Qerimi, but denying that Qerimi had been an informant for the Kosovo Police.
Të lidhura
None found
During questioning by prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu, the witness said that he had been part of the same investigative team as Qerimi for around two years. According to him, Qerimi was transferred from the Ferizaj region to the General Directorate, in the Investigations Department in Pristina. After leaving the Kosovo Police, the two had no contact for a long time, and met again in 2022.
A.K. said that his police responsibilities also included handling sources of information. He said that during their meetings, Qerimi claimed to have information to pass on, but that it turned out to be inaccurate or incomplete.
Witness in espionage trial: The information Qerimi brought was inaccurate or incomplete
“One of my duties was dealing with sources of information. From time to time, he would meet me and tell me that he had some information. It was not that he ever provided a great deal of information or anything special, but usually the reason given for the meeting was to provide information. When he called, he would say that he had something to give. Most of the information was either inaccurate or incomplete in relation to the work. No, Muharrem was not an informant for the Kosovo Police,” the witness declared.
The witness also described a conversation in which he had explained to Qerimi that his departure from the police meant that they could no longer communicate as they had before.
“I tell you everything, but you tell me nothing,” what Qerimi had said, according to the witness
“This happened during the meeting I mentioned in 2012. We had been silent for a short time, as I was analyzing the conversation with him in order to draw conclusions. At one point, Muharrem told me, ‘I tell you everything, but you don’t tell me everything.’ The way we communicated had changed because you were no longer part of the police. He is no longer a police officer and we can no longer discuss these things, but if you have something to give to the police, you can give it to us, always in the capacity of an unregistered source,” he said.
Regarding suspicions that Qerimi had cooperated with the Serbian Secret Service, BIA, A.K. said that he learned about it from the media after Qerimi’s arrest. Later, taking the accusations into account, he formed the impression that the meetings may have been used to cover up the activity Qerimi is suspected of carrying out.
A.K.: Qerimi insisted on meeting; I learned about the accusations after his arrest
“As for his cooperation with BIA, I learned about that from the media after his arrest. Regarding Muharrem, after the first meeting we had in 10 years, he was the one who called me; there was no information that was unimportant. During the period in which we met after 10 years, it was usually he who insisted that we meet. After his arrest, I learned from the media what he was accused of, leading me to conclude that one of the reasons he came to meet me, if he had carried out the activity he is accused of, may have been to use the meeting with me as cover,” he said.
Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office accuses Bedri Shabani and Muharrem Qerimi of espionage in favor of Serbia’s BIA. According to the indictment filed on February 19, 2025, they are suspected of passing the Serbian Secret Service information about the Kosovo Liberation Army, massacres in Kosovo, the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, the Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Police Inspectorate.
