Prosecutor Kodraliu: BIA planned to target political figures in Kosovo before the elections

Kosovo’s Special Prosecution is investigating seven espionage cases involving several people suspected of being recruited by Serbia’s Intelligence Agency, BIA. Prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu revealed in an exclusive interview with RTK that four convictions have been handed down so far.

According to Kodraliu, over the past two years the Special Prosecution has carried out investigative actions into this phenomenon in cooperation with the Kosovo Intelligence Agency and the Kosovo Police.

Of the four convictions for the criminal offense of espionage, two have become final. They concern Aleksandër Vlajiq and Bojan Jevtiq, who pleaded guilty to the charges supported by the Prosecution with concrete evidence.

As Kodraliu explained, the sensitivity of these cases is also linked to the senior positions the two convicted men had held in the Kosovo Police.

One of them held the rank of lieutenant and served at the border crossing in Kamenica, while the other had worked as a police intelligence officer in the northern part of Mitrovica. Precisely because of these positions, the Prosecution acted urgently to secure evidence.

Aleksandër Vlajiq was also convicted for the terrorist attack on the offices of the Central Election Commission in Mitrovica, carried out in December 2022.

The espionage investigation against him began after sufficient evidence was discovered during an examination of his phones. Further evidence collected subsequently also proved in court that Vlajiq had been recruited by the Serbian intelligence service, specifically by the BIA official, or person responsible for the Novipazar region.

The same investigation also led to a criminal case against a female official from North Mitrovica who had been part of the OSCE mission in Kosovo.

She was found guilty at first instance, while the case is currently being reviewed on appeal. For this reason, Kodraliu said he should be reserved in his statements about the official, as the court proceedings against her are ongoing.

Referring to the case of Fatmir Sheholli, the prosecutor stated that he had assisted the Serbian intelligence service, more specifically Bojan Dimiq, a senior BIA official responsible for counterterrorism.

According to Kodraliu, Sheholli’s assistance was connected to the implementation of a mission aimed at harming several political figures in Kosovo. He emphasized that the attack against them had been planned to take place before the elections held in Kosovo.