Decision on Thaçi in the obstruction of justice case expected on November 17

On November 17, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague will make public the verdict against former president Hashim Thaçi and four co-defendants, who face criminal charges related to obstructing the administration of justice.

The court’s announcement made on Monday states that the trial judge, Charles L. Gosnell, has set 10:00 for the reading of the decision.

Alongside Thaçi in the dock are Bashkim Smakaj, former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA), Isni Kilaj, former mayor of Malisheva, Fadil Fazliu, and Hajredin Kuçi, former Minister of Justice.

All the defendants have denied the charges against them.

In their closing statements during September, prosecutors from the Special Prosecution Office (SPO) requested that Thaçi be found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison.

For Smakaj, Kilaj, and Fazliu, the prosecution requested three years in prison each, while for Kuçi, nine months in prison was requested.

In its argument, the prosecution emphasized that any attempt to manipulate witness testimony poses a serious risk to the integrity of the justice system.

Meanwhile, Thaçi’s defense sought his acquittal, noting that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence to support its request for a conviction.

According to the indictment, during 2023, Thaçi conveyed confidential information to visitors at his detention center in The Hague about witnesses in his war crimes trial, as well as instructions on how to influence their testimony.

The prosecution claims that the other defendants were also part of this network, helping to get these instructions to the witnesses.

When the trial began in February 2026, the prosecution made public audio recordings from Thaçi’s meetings with visitors in detention, which it said proved attempts to interfere with witnesses’ testimony.

The obstruction of justice case is being conducted separately from the main trial against Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict in Kosovo.

In that case, on September 16, the Specialist Court found the four former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders guilty of some of the war crimes charges, but acquitted them of crimes against humanity.

Thaçi and Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years in prison, Veseli to 18 years, and Selimi to 13 years. The verdict is of first instance and the defense teams have announced they will appeal.

The prosecution has requested that, if Thaçi is found guilty in the obstruction of justice case as well, the six-year sentence be served after the completion of the war crimes sentence, that is, consecutively and not in parallel.