Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Wednesday that the courts should determine whether the case involving former State Intelligence Service (SHISH) director Vlora Hyseni has affected Albania’s national security or its relations with international partners.
Rama made the remarks during a joint press conference in Tirana with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is visiting Albania as part of her Western Balkans tour. The two were asked whether they had discussed the investigation involving Hyseni and the security measures imposed on her by Albania’s Special Court.
Hyseni, who headed SHISH from 2023, was placed under house arrest and suspended from her duties by the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) on September 21. According to the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK), she is under investigation for alleged offenses including supporting the perpetrator of a crime and disclosure of classified information. The investigation is linked to a broader case involving the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI).
Rama argued that developments which are portrayed by some in Albania as setbacks are viewed differently by the European Union, particularly in the context of the country’s efforts to combat organized crime and corruption.
“What in the country is seen by many as regression is seen by the European Union as progress,” Rama said, arguing that Albania was undergoing an institutional transformation.
He said sensitive information involved in the investigation should be assessed by the judiciary rather than through selective publication of investigative materials.
“As far as sensitive information is concerned, I believe it should be left to the court and not to the sporadic reading of investigative materials that are released to confuse public opinion,” Rama said.
He added that the courts should establish whether any information had compromised Albania’s credibility with its partners or threatened national security.
Rama also said that, so far, Albania had not received such concerns from any of its international partners.
“The news I have for you is that we have not received such a concern about these materials from any partner so far,” he said.
The prime minister distinguished between Albania’s security institutions and its international allies, saying his earlier reference to partners who had remained silent concerned professionals working within the intelligence and security system rather than allied governments.
Rama said he expected prosecutors and courts to complete their respective roles before conclusions were drawn about the case.
Hyseni Investigation
SPAK announced last week that GJKKO had ordered house arrest and suspension from public duty for Hyseni as part of criminal proceedings dating from 2025. The same investigation resulted in prison detention measures against two other people and searches involving a former senior police official and a property complex in Durrës.
Hyseni has denied the allegations. During a closed court hearing, she reportedly disputed claims that classified documents had left her office and requested that her seized phone be examined by international partner agencies rather than by SPAK laboratories.
The allegations remain subject to the ongoing judicial process and do not constitute a final finding of guilt.
The case has also prompted wider discussion about Albania’s national security institutions. President Bajram Begaj convened the National Security Council earlier this week following the investigation, with senior government and security officials expected to attend.
Von der Leyen’s visit to Albania is part of her sixth annual Western Balkans tour, which also includes Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The European Commission has said the tour is focused on the region’s progress toward EU membership and gradual integration supported by the EU’s €6 billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
