Edri Shabani and Muharrem Qerimi are in custody, as suspects for the criminal offense of espionage. The Court of Appeals yesterday confirmed the decision of the Foundation to set the measure of detention, mentioning the risk of repeating the criminal offense and that of escaping in the event of a trial at liberty. Shabani and Qerimi have pleaded not guilty before the court. Shabani even said before the jury that he served in the Kosovo Liberation Army, although he did not specify how.
Gazeta Insajderi has managed to secure the words of the suspects in court. Shabani said that he never worked against the state of Kosovo and that he contributed to the KLA and Customs.
He even went so far as to claim that the businesses he fined during his position as a customs official are cooperating with the prosecution in order to see Shabani in prison.
“It is the first time since last night that I have experienced prison in my life, I am the parent of six children, I guarantee with my life and honor that I have never worked against my country and will not work, I have always given the contribution to the Kosovo Liberation Army and to the Customs, while I worked, I worked conscientiously, while I see that the businesses that I have punished while I was at the Customs today have enough influence that I am punished”, stated Shabani.
“I ask the court and the Special Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kosovo to investigate me to the end and not to tarnish me and my family, I as a parent of all six sons work in Kosovo, so I never left the country in my life I have contributed and I am contributing and all these are baseless and slanderous and I ask the court and the prosecutor’s office to release me and not tarnish my family”.
On the other hand, the other suspect for espionage, Muharrem Qerimi, claimed that his family was endangered by the arrest.
“The damage that has been done since yesterday has caused us consequences. What decision the court makes is irrelevant, I have nothing to do with it. I have told everything to the police, they have endangered our family, children, brothers and everyone. I promise that in any circumstances, I am here”, Qerimi declared before the court.
Qerimi’s defender, Ridvan Kajtazi, said that during the interview by the police, Qerimi was asked about a person named Slavisha Stankovic, nicknamed “Peace”, which he considered illegal.
The lawyer further said that Qerimi worked as an investigator in the Anti-Organized Crime Directorate of the Kosovo Police and dealt with organized crime in the field of narcotics until 2008 and since then he has been outside the security institutions.
“My client, until 2008, worked as an employee of the Kosovo Police, was an investigator in the Ferizaj region, and also an investigator in the Organized Crime Directorate of the Kosovo Police, where he mainly dealt with the issue of combating organized crime in the field of narcotics and from 2008 until today, he has been outside any security institution”, added Qerim’s defense.
Lawyer Kajtazi has said that his client is ready to offer bail in the amount of up to 30,000 euros, while he has asked the court to consider the measure of bail combined with that of house arrest.
Gazeta Insajderi has managed to secure the file of the Prosecutor’s Office, in which it is shown that the two defendants continuously changed their phone numbers and telephone devices every time they called people suspected to have been BIA officials.
The defendants, especially the defendant Bëdri Shabani, are suspected to have changed their telephone numbers and telephone devices during the commission of the criminal offense, where he also informed his interlocutors that he was changing the telephone numbers and destroying them on purpose. only to escape the investigation, where from this it is clearly seen that there is a potential risk that he will repeat the criminal offense. Likewise, the accused Muharrem Qerimi, who is suspected of having the same communication contacts with the “BIA” agency, says the Prosecutor’s Office file.
This has been mentioned as a circumstance for keeping the suspects in custody, as the court says that the liaison officer of the “BIA” has not managed to be arrested and the suspects can continue contacts with them.
In the Prosecution’s file, it is further added that the communication with the BIA official, which also confirms the interceptions published in the media a few days ago about a conversation of Shabani about how “things are going slowly” and that he is not acting properly .
“…where in a case of communication, this suspect tells this “BIA” official that things are going very slowly and that “BIA” is not acting as it should, as he has been sending them information for some time”.
The Prosecution file further confirms that Shabani had previously traveled to Serbia to meet the “BIA” official.
On the other hand, for Muharrem Qerimin, it is said that during the surveillance he contacted people who he is suspected of using to provide certain information for espionage.
The prosecution says that Qerimi and Shabani have had frequent trips to Serbia, Sarajevo and Macedonia, visits which they suspect were used for the purpose of espionage.
The Basic Court says that the evidence proves that in addition to communication, the two suspects also provided BIA service officials with materials and documents “in order to provide information and organize actions against state security”.
“These measures have led to the evidence that proves the suspicion of the communication of the defendants with officials of the BIA service, where, in addition to the communication, materials and documents were also provided for the purpose of providing information and organizing actions against the security of the state “.
The insider reported that he heard that Bedri Shabani has been under surveillance since October 2023, while the expansion of the investigation involving Muharrem Qerimi happened two months later.
Muharrem Qerim and Bedri Shabani, suspected of espionage, have been remanded in custody.
Shabani was previously a former official at the Kosovo Customs. This institution announced that they suspended him due to his suspicious actions.
