Fehim Sali, Arrested on Suspicion of Espionage, Was Removed from a Presidency Council in 2024

Fehim Sali, a Kosovo citizen, has been arrested by the Kosovo Police on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of espionage. He had served as a member of a council operating under the Presidency, but authorities say he was dismissed two years ago.

Kosovo’s prosecutorial system announced that the arrest was carried out at the Merdare border crossing in Podujevo, based on a warrant issued by the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo.

The suspect’s identity was confirmed by Radio Free Europe sources. Sali is from the Municipality of Dragash and works in the Serbian education system operating within Kosovo.

Official records show that he was also a member of the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC), which operates under the authority of the President of Kosovo. The Presidency said that Sali was dismissed from the council in 2024.

Vlora Konushevci, media adviser to Acting President Albulena Haxhiu, told Radio Free Europe that Fehim Sali had represented the Gorani community on the CCC for two terms, namely 2020-2022 and 2022-2024.

Konushevci told RFE that, following a report containing security information and a proposal by the council’s secretary, Sali was dismissed on May 3, 2024, and has not been a member of the Consultative Council for Communities since then. She added that the Presidency could not provide further details about the report.

Following his arrest, the suspect was detained for 48 hours, the Special Prosecution Office said in a subsequent statement.

Police investigators from the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Serious Crimes also executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence in Dragash.

According to the statement, 39,500 euros in cash, 500 Serbian dinars and four mobile phones were found and seized during the search.

The police and the Special Prosecution Office have not specified the activities of which Sali is suspected. It has also not been disclosed whether the case is linked to any foreign intelligence service.

The Special Prosecution Office said it would continue its investigative activities jointly with the Kosovo Police, with the aim of fully clarifying the circumstances of the case.

Covert activities aimed at collecting, transmitting or distributing sensitive information to another state, organization or group are defined as espionage in Kosovo.

Kosovo’s Criminal Code categorizes espionage as a serious criminal offense. If found guilty, a person may be sentenced to at least five years in prison.

The arrest was made at a time when Kosovo’s institutions have conducted several investigations and arrested people suspected of spying for Serbian intelligence.

In previous cases, those arrested belonged to different communities in Kosovo and were suspected of collecting or passing information to Serbian intelligence services.

According to security experts, espionage poses a serious threat to Kosovo’s security. They believe that activities of this kind could undermine internal security, destabilize institutions and damage Kosovo’s international standing.

The authorities have not clarified whether F.S.’s case is connected to any of the previous espionage cases.