On September 11, 2026, the closing statements phase is continuing at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi. All five are charged with criminal offenses related to the administration of justice.

An update at 09:17 stated that today’s hearing would continue with the closing arguments of the other defense teams. The hearing was initially reported at 07:16.

During Wednesday’s hearing, which took place a day earlier, the defense asked that Thaçi be found not guilty and acquitted of all charges.

His lawyer, Sophie Menegon, argued that the trial panel should base its decision on the evidence, rather than on what she described as speculation by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office. On this basis, the defense asked that Thaçi be acquitted of all charges.

Menegon stated that no group had been formed to obstruct justice and challenged the evidence on which the Prosecution based its claims. According to her, the indictment does not coherently set out the forms of criminal responsibility, while the charges are not supported by sufficient evidence.

In its closing arguments, the defense said that the actions attributed to Thaçi had not affected the judicial proceedings. Menegon also stressed that the charge against him concerns attempted interference, rather than a completed offense.

According to the defense team, no concrete interference in the administration of justice was established during the trial, and the SPO failed to prove Thaçi’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense also challenged the testimony of Prosecution expert Koen Herlaar, describing the methodology he used as problematic.

The defense emphasized that Rrustem Mustafa, Bislim Zyrapi and a protected witness, all of whom were mentioned by the Prosecution, denied during questioning that they had been influenced by Thaçi or anyone else.

Bashkim Smakaj’s defense team also requested his acquittal on all charges. The Prosecution claims that documents containing instructions for a witness were found in Smakaj’s vehicle, while the defense said that the SPO had not presented sufficient arguments regarding the conversations between Smakaj and Zyrapi.

Before the defense presented its closing arguments, the SPO requested that all the accused be found guilty and sentenced. It sought a six-year prison sentence for Hashim Thaçi, three years each for Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj and Fadil Fazliu, and nine months in prison for Hajredin Kuçi. These requests were opposed by the former president’s defense.

Prosecutor Joshua Hafetz stated that, according to the SPO, the defendants’ actions had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt and constituted interference in the judicial proceedings.

The indictment and the Prosecution’s arguments allege that, while in detention in The Hague, Thaçi had contact with other individuals and discussed testimony in his main trial, which concerns charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to the SPO, nine visits took place at the detention center over a four-month period, producing around 28 hours of recordings. The Prosecution claims that these recordings contain conversations related to witnesses and the judicial proceedings.

Chief Prosecutor Kimberly West has said that, according to the SPO’s allegations, Thaçi had formed groups of individuals who knew certain witnesses, with the aim of influencing their testimony. The Prosecution says that the testimony of Rrustem Mustafa, Bislim Zyrapi, Sylejman Selimi and a protected witness was among the matters discussed during these contacts.

Thaçi, Smakaj, Fazliu, Kilaj and Kuçi have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Thaçi is charged with obstructing officials in the performance of their official duties, violating the secrecy of proceedings and contempt of court.

Kilaj, Smakaj and Fazliu are charged with attempting to obstruct officials in the performance of their official duties, as well as contempt of court. Kuçi faces two charges of contempt of court.

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Proceedings are continuing at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, where closing arguments are being presented in the criminal case against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, as well as Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi. All of them are accused of criminal offenses against the administration of justice.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Hashim Thaçi’s defense asked the trial panel to find him not guilty and acquit him of all charges.

Defense lawyer Sophie Menegon said the verdict should be based solely on evidence and not on what she described as speculation by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO). “We ask that your decision be based on evidence and not speculation, and that it result in acquittal on all charges,” Menegon said.

According to the defense, the witnesses cited by the prosecution, including Rrustem Mustafa, Bislim Zyrapi and a protected witness, denied during questioning that they had been influenced by Thaçi or by other individuals.

The defense claimed that no concrete interference in the administration of justice had been proven during the proceedings. It also argued that the SPO had failed to prove Thaçi’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Menegon also criticized the prosecution’s handling of the forms of criminal responsibility. According to her, the indictment is incoherent in this regard and the charges are not supported by sufficient evidence.

The defense also challenged the testimony of the prosecution’s expert, Koen Herlaar, describing the methodology he used as problematic.

The SPO, meanwhile, asked for all the accused to be found guilty and sentenced. The prosecution requested six years in prison for Hashim Thaçi, three years each for Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj and Fadil Fazliu, and nine months in prison for Hajredin Kuçi.

Prosecutor Joshua Hafetz said that, according to the SPO, the actions of the accused had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt and constituted interference in the judicial process.

According to the indictment and the prosecution’s arguments, while being held in pretrial detention in The Hague, Thaçi communicated with other individuals and discussed witness testimony in his main trial, which concerns charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The SPO claims that nine visits to the detention center, conducted over a four-month period, produced around 28 hours of recordings. According to the prosecution, the recordings contain conversations related to witnesses and the judicial process.

Chief Prosecutor Kimberly West has said that, according to the SPO’s allegations, Thaçi had formed groups with people who knew specific witnesses, with the aim of influencing their testimony.

The prosecution claims that during these contacts, the testimonies of Rrustem Mustafa, Bislim Zyrapi, Sylejman Selimi and a protected witness were discussed, among other matters.

Thaçi, Smakaj, Fazliu, Kilaj and Kuçi have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

According to the indictment, Hashim Thaçi is charged with obstructing public officials in the performance of their official duties, violating the confidentiality of proceedings and contempt of court.

Isni Kilaj, Bashkim Smakaj and Fadil Fazliu are charged with attempting to obstruct public officials in the performance of their official duties and with contempt of court. Hajredin Kuçi faces two charges of contempt of court.

The post Closing arguments continue in The Hague trial on obstruction of justice appeared first on Albeu.com.

At the Basic Court of Prishtina, Sami Lushtaku, mayor of Skenderaj, together with Ismet Haxha, Rrustem Rukolli, Rexhep Xhota, Fatmir Mjaku, Skender Tahiri, Bajram Dibrani and Sheremet Jashari, await the moment of closing statements regarding charges of organized crime and intimidation of protected witnesses in the “Drenica 1” case, KosovaPress reports.

In the preliminary hearing, the defendants chose to exercise their right to remain silent, staying silent throughout the proceedings.

The judicial process at these moments is proceeding only on three counts of the indictment, specifically numbers 16, 17, and 18.

The rest of the case file also included Emrush Thaqi, Shemsi Hajrizi, Sahit Jashari, Mergim Lushtaku, Dardan Geci, Bashkim Dervisholli, Valon Behramaj, Argjent Behramaj, Yll Blakaj, Gzim Ahmeti, Xhevdet Zena, Mervete Hasani-Lushtaku, Agim Ukaj, Ismail Dibrani, Sami Gjoka and Nexhib Shatri.

On April 5, 2018, the Basic Court in Prishtina had decided not to accept the defense lawyers’ requests to dismiss the indictment and challenge the evidence, reasoning that the criminal offense was not time-barred and that the defense did not bring convincing arguments to support the claims. This stance was upheld by the Court of Appeals in July of the same year.

Another separate case, that of the removal of Sami Lushtaku and other persons from the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK), had its epilogue on April 14, 2020. At that time, Lushtaku was in pre-trial detention for the “Drenica” case and was at UCCK for medical services, when the 2014 incident occurred.

Regarding the charge for that escape from UCCK, the judges acquitted the mayor of Skenderaj, but fined him 12,000 euros for two other instances of escape, which were recorded on August 21 and September 22, 2015.

Meanwhile, the indictment by EULEX prosecutor Romulo Matues, filed on November 17, 2016, was precisely related to criminal offenses concerning the removal of Lushtaku and his co-accused from UCCK, all of whom had previously been convicted in the so-called “Drenica Group” and were sent for medical treatment due to their health problems.

The post Closing arguments expected today in the trial of Sami Lushtaku and co-accused for organized crime appeared first on Albeu.com.