Sheholli pleads not guilty to espionage and blackmail, Rashiq present in courtroom

At the first court hearing, held on September 7, 2026, Fatmir Sheholli denied all the charges brought against him by Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office. He clearly told the panel of judges at the Basic Court in Pristina that he considered himself completely innocent of both the criminal offense of espionage and that of blackmail.

Special Prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu argued in court that the defendant had carried out a genuine plan aimed at harming Kosovo’s state interests and manipulating the electoral process held on October 12, 2025. Acting Minister for Communities and Return Nenad Rashiq was also present at the hearing as the injured party.

According to an 80-page indictment, Sheholli is suspected of having been recruited by Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) and of reporting directly to Bojan Dimiq, who heads the Directorate for Combating Terrorism and International Organized Crime. The prosecution claims that, during an unspecified period up until his arrest on October 9, 2025, he systematically collected and passed on data about the country’s political developments, security situation and institutional functioning.

The indictment details that the Serbian intelligence service had entrusted Sheholli with 5,000 euros and audio materials intended to influence local elections within Kosovo’s Serb community. The materials, which contained intercepted conversations and transcripts of senior officials from the ministry headed by Rashiq, were intended for distribution in the media to discredit Kosovo’s institutions. According to the prosecution, Sheholli handed the recordings to journalist Milaim Zeka, along with 1,000 euros, instructing him on when and how to publish them on the program “Pa Rrotlla,” on the pretext that the documentation had come from the German Development Agency (GIZ).

Another central element of the case file is a photograph found on the defendant’s phone, nicknamed “Top Secret 2.” According to the prosecutor, the document describes a strategy to create the perception of a radicalized and extremist Kosovo by collecting funds from an Islamic embassy in Belgrade to build mosques in prominent locations. The ultimate goal, the indictment states, was to generate insecurity, encourage young people to leave and gradually return the country to Serbian jurisdiction, thereby changing Western allies’ stance toward Kosovo.

A document titled “Leptiri” was also found on Sheholli’s mobile device. The prosecution describes it as a 2001 plan drafted by the structures of Serbia’s State Security Directorate (RDB). The plan envisaged compromising and recruiting the current prime minister, Albin Kurti, during the period when he was serving a sentence in Serbian prisons, using an operational source nicknamed “Leptiri” to obtain compromising material.

In addition to the espionage charge, Sheholli also faces the criminal offense of blackmail. The prosecution claims that he possessed video recordings of a local businessman and used them as leverage to demand a sum exceeding 13,000 euros. Investigators have secured photographs and other material evidence, including intercepts obtained through special investigative measures.

Fatmir Sheholli, who has been held in pretrial detention since October 2025, has a professional background that includes working as a journalist, serving as an adviser to the Municipality of Graçanica and the Ministry of Return, and heading a nongovernmental organization. Today’s hearing marked the first procedural step, as the court is expected to examine the parties’ claims. He is presumed innocent until a final verdict is issued.

The case adds to a series of espionage investigations conducted by Kosovo authorities in recent years. In June last year, Aleksandar Vllajiq was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty as a member of the BIA, while Bedri Shabani and Muharrem Qerimi are standing trial on similar charges. Most recently, in August this year, Fehim Sali was arrested on suspicion of espionage on behalf of Serbia, with the prosecution alleging that he had collected information about individuals linked to the Wahhabi sect.