Kosovo Police arrested Fehim Sali, a teacher from Dragash, on Thursday on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of espionage. A day later, the Basic Court in Pristina ordered him to remain in pretrial detention for 30 days.
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According to the Special Prosecution’s request for pretrial detention, the suspect provided a detailed account during questioning of his activities and contacts with an official from Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency, the BIA.
Fehim Sali, a Kosovo citizen and resident of the municipality of Dragash, is suspected of acting in the interests of Serbia’s BIA intelligence service.
The investigation into him began in June last year, after the Kosovo Intelligence Agency forwarded information about Sali’s suspicious activities to the Special Prosecution.
The prosecution alleges that Sali acted on the orders and instructions of senior BIA official Zhelimir Matoviq. He is suspected of providing the agency with information about the political situation in Kosovo, identifying Kosovo Intelligence Agency officials by photographing them, and supplying information about people belonging to the Wahhabi sect, as well as others.
He is also suspected of proposing these individuals to BIA officials as potential targets for contact and recruitment.
Before his dismissal in May 2024, Sali had been a member of the Consultative Council for Communities under the Office of the President of Kosovo. His role on the council was also mentioned in the Special Prosecution’s request for pretrial detention.
The prosecutor in the case, Bekim Kodraliu, told the media on Friday that evidence gathered by Kosovo Police in cooperation with the Kosovo Intelligence Agency established reasonable suspicion that Sali had been recruited by the BIA.
Kodraliu said Sali was suspected of having been recruited by BIA official Zhelimir Matoviq, and that the information he provided was detrimental to the interests of the state of Kosovo. According to the prosecutor, the defendant himself stated that he had been recruited and had maintained ongoing contact with BIA officials.
“Today, the Special Prosecution filed a request for pretrial detention to be imposed on the defendant, Fehmi Sali. Based on the evidence obtained by Kosovo Police, in close cooperation with the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, we have established reasonable suspicion that he was recruited by the Serbian Security Intelligence Agency—the BIA—more specifically by its official, Zhelimir Matoviq, and that he provided information to this agency to the detriment of our state’s interests. We believe that the evidence we have obtained has established well-founded reasonable suspicion,” he stated.
The prosecutor added that, during the hearing on the pretrial detention request, Sali again admitted that he had been recruited and had maintained ongoing communication with BIA members.
Meanwhile, during a raid conducted a day earlier in cooperation with Kosovo Police, the authorities seized phones and a sum of money. The prosecution suspects that the money represents financial proceeds obtained through the commission of the criminal offense.
Bekim Kodraliu said that once the investigation is completed, Sali is expected to be indicted for the criminal offense for which, according to him, reasonable suspicion has already been established.
Kosovo Police announced that F. S. was detained today at the Merdare border crossing on suspicion of the criminal offense of “Espionage.” By order of the Special Prosecution, he was placed in detention for 48 hours.
The search warrant for the suspect’s home in Dragash was executed by investigators from the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Serious Crimes.
During the search of the residence, €39,500 in cash, 500 dinars, four mobile phones and various documents considered relevant to the case were found and seized.
The Basic Court in Pristina, specifically its Special Department, subsequently ordered Fehim Sali to be held in pretrial detention for one month on suspicion of the criminal offense of “Espionage,” as provided for under Article 124, paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.
The decision was issued on August 14 by pretrial judge Kushtrim Shyti, following a request filed by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo.
The court reasoned that there was a risk Sali might flee. He was detained on August 13 at around 4:00 a.m. at the Merdare border crossing while leaving Kosovo.
In its assessment, the court also took into account the fact that Sali holds both Kosovo and Serbian citizenship and has family ties in Serbia.
In addition to the risk of flight, the court found that he could influence witnesses and evidence, and also determined that there was a possibility he could repeat the criminal offense.
The defense opposed the request for pretrial detention, emphasizing that Sali has a permanent residence in Kosovo, as well as his family and a teaching job in the country. According to the defense, his trips to Serbia were related to family and personal matters.
However, the Basic Court in Pristina found that alternative measures, such as house arrest, bail or mandatory reporting to the police, would neither guarantee his presence nor prevent interference with the investigation.
