For the first time, the head of the Albanian secret service has been declared wanted by the police, in an indictment by the special prosecution, which this Tuesday simultaneously affected the SHISH dome and high-ranking structures of the State Police.
The Special Court imposed the measure of "house arrest" and suspension from duty for the director of the State Intelligence Service, Vlora Hyseni, who has led Albanian intelligence since 2023. In recent years, her closeness to Ergys Agasin was a public secret that had long been rumored in Tirana and that also had the blessing of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
How Vlora Hyseni came to be the head of SHISH
The measure against her was not immediately executed, as Hyseni is outside Albania. So far, it has been reported that it is precisely her connections with Ergys Agas that have caused SPAK to request her arrest for two criminal offenses, "Supporting the perpetrator of the crime" and "Disclosure of secret acts or data."
Hyseni came to head SHISH in March 2023, selected precisely by Prime Minister Edi Rama himself who proposed her name to President Bajram Begaj, presenting her experience and reputation in the international intelligence community as a "full guarantee" for reforming the Albanian service.
Before coming to Albania, Hyseni had a career at the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, initially as Director of Foreign Relations and since 2019 as Deputy Director, a position from which she was dismissed in 2021 by decision of President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, without the reasons for the dismissal being made public.
In June 2021, her dismissal was announced through a statement from Prime Minister Kurti's office, which required her to hand over all the tools and materials she had been entrusted with. No further reasons were given for Vlora Hyseni's dismissal by the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, but the statement mentioned that "disclosure or failure to maintain classified information constitutes a criminal offense punishable under the Criminal Code of Kosovo and other relevant legislation in force relating to classified information."
Ilir Proda is also in trouble
The operation to crack down on Ergys Agas' group is still ongoing and the crackdown was not limited to SHISH. By order of SPAK, searches were also carried out on the former Director General of the State Police, Ilir Proda, who later appeared at the Special Prosecutor's Office and was questioned. Searches were also carried out on other Police and SHISH officials, as well as in several premises in Durrës.
Among the people against whom security measures were taken are Fatjon Kalluçi, head of the Police Scientific Laboratory, and Embro Sulejmani, who worked as a head waiter in a bar near the government residences in Durrës. It is suspected that Ergys Agasi may have been hiding in these complexes while he was on the run. Another measure was taken against a criminalist in Durrës.
"Agas" file
The starting point was the investigation into the AKSHI tenders and businessman Ergys Agasi, who was arrested on August 26 after eight months on the run. During the investigation, SPAK seized film footage, equipment and other materials from Agasi's office that proved important for expanding the investigation.
The footage documented Agasi's meetings with ministers, directors and other high-ranking officials. Agasi himself admitted the day before in the Special Court that he had held such meetings, but rejected their interpretation as evidence of corruption.
The analysis of the seized materials did not remain only within the tender file of the National Agency for Security and Defense. Prosecutors opened a new investigative faction and the traces led to the management of the institution that is tasked with collecting and preserving some of the most sensitive information of the Albanian state. At this point, the name of Vlora Hyseni emerged.
The suspicions against her are now not related to the AKSHI tenders, but to supporting the perpetrator of the crime and revealing secret information. So far, it has not been made public which person Hyseni is suspected of supporting, what secret information is suspected of being revealed, and to whom it may have been given.
The investigation is led by prosecutors Bledar Maksuti and Altin Dumani and the operation continues with checks and other investigative actions.
