Kosovo, the head of the Intelligence Agency is dismissed

Kreshnik Gashi

 In a brief announcement and without any explanation, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti, said on Thursday that he had asked to "Mr. Kreshnik Gashi the dismissal of the director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency".

Government officials said the decision was made in coordination with Kosovo's acting president, Vjosa Osmani, but did not provide further details.

Ms. Osmani, who stayed for three days for a visit to Albania, told the Euronews Albania TV channel that "it is not right to talk about the details", as "this is a sensitive case", while confirming that she has coordinated with the Prime Minister Hoti.

The decision to ask Mr. Kreshnik Gashi to step down as head of the Intelligence Agency followed allegations that an agency inspector had tried to obtain some documents from the presidential vault on November 6, a day after the resignation of former President Hashim Thaci who is in The Hague to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The attempt, according to presidency officials, is said to have been made in the presence of the secretary of the president's office, Driton Gashi, who had previously served as director of the Intelligence Agency.

Ms. Osmani's chief of staff, Faton Peci, told the Klan Kosova television channel that on November 6 he had found Mr. Gashi in the president's office while an unidentified Intelligence Agency inspector was trying to open the safe where "classified" documents were kept.

Driton Gashi in Klan Kosova denied such a thing, emphasizing that the allegations that "the safe was opened and there was a violation of authorizations" are incorrect.

Then, on December 15, Ms. Osmani suspended Mr. Driton Gashi from duty, on suspicion of "serious violations in his duties".

The issue was discussed behind closed doors at a meeting of the parliamentary committee for oversight of the Intelligence Agency, but no details were given.

Driton Gashi was dismissed from the post of Chief of the Intelligence Agency on March 30, 2018, after the arrest and deportation at that time of six Turkish citizens wanted by Ankara.

He was succeeded in that post by Shpend Magjuni, who resigned on November 6, 2019, who was succeeded by Kreshnik Gashi, who was appointed to that post on November 25 last year.

Kreshnik Gashi was the fifth head of the Intelligence Agency to be established after Kosovo's independence, which was declared in February 2008. Three of them resigned and two were fired, while none fulfilled his mandate until the end.