How the structure within SHISH operated: Journalist reveals details about Vlora Hyseni’s trusted associates and holds Rama responsible for her appointment

On Monday evening, the “Top Story” program hosted by Grida Duma discussed one of the hottest topics of recent days: the scandal at SHISH and the arrest measure imposed on the institution’s former head, Vlora Hyseni.

Journalist Artan Hoxha was also part of the panel. He raised a series of questions about how the State Intelligence Service was run and about the political responsibility that, in his view, is directly linked to the way the institution’s leaders are selected.

The journalist focused on Prime Minister Edi Rama’s role in Hyseni’s appointment, arguing that responsibility for the institution’s functioning cannot be separated from the way its leader was chosen.

“You started with the question of who is responsible. It is the person who came to Rinas. We know very well that, as much as we know him, he does not resign. The more scandals there are, the less likely he is to resign. As I said, the responsibility lies with the prime minister. He had that woman as an adviser and appointed her to SHISH. He said, ‘I don’t speak directly.’ The service provides information and you decide whether it is valuable or not. And when something goes wrong, you ask what is happening. We are in NATO and we have the objectives that come with it. And we have our own objectives. During his time in the service, there was no number two. As for Ergysi, he is neither a businessman nor a gangster. He comes from a very good family. It was decided that there should be a link between crime and the state. Gysi is not worth a penny without the support of those below him and immunity from the person above him. When his lawyer comes out, he says that officially he had no official role. Approval from above and a proposal from below. When you speak to Gysi, bear in mind that there is a structure behind him. The number of murders fell—why? Because he had power. Where does this power come from? The third coordinator between crime and the state,” Hoxha said.

Another point he raised concerned Vlora Hyseni’s background and her acquisition of Albanian citizenship. According to Hoxha, Hyseni obtained an Albanian passport in 2016, while her name was included on a list that came from Kosovo.

“A list came from Kosovo, and she was among the 10 people on it. She did not meet the requirements, but it was granted to her for a state-related reason,” Hoxha said, later linking her appointment to the period when she became the prime minister’s adviser and, subsequently, head of SHISH.

The journalist also raised questions about the institution’s internal organization under Hyseni’s leadership, focusing in particular on the absence of a number two and on direct communications with people connected to organized crime cases.

“When she became director of the Service, she did not appoint a number two. She established a direct link and held three meetings a day with one of the main chiefs who dealt with organized crime. Why with organized crime, and why was such frequent contact necessary?” Hoxha declared.

He also criticized the way SPAK issued the arrest measure against Hyseni at a time when she was abroad. According to the journalist, this gave her the opportunity to “delete” from her phone materials that could incriminate her, as well as materials held by her subordinates at the institution.