The Office of the Specialized Prosecutor in The Hague has announced on Tuesday that the former superior of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Haxhi Shala, and Sabit Januzi have accepted the charge of intimidating a witness and obstructing justice, in agreement with this office for the admission of guilt.
"The defendants have been accused of intimidation during criminal proceedings and obstructing official persons in the performance of their official duties", the announcement states.
In a reaction related to the agreements, the Specialized Prosecutor, Kimberly West, has stated that "the achievement of our office to complete these agreements is evidence of the strength of our investigations related to the issues of intimidation and obstruction of justice."
The Specialized Chambers also confirmed these two plea agreements, where "each is based on 'admitted facts', whereby the accused acknowledge that certain facts presented in the indictment would be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and are true and accurate".
According to them, "The rules of procedure and evidence before the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo allow the Specialized Prosecutor and the defense to reach an agreement on the admission of guilt, which must be approved by the trial body before it comes into effect."
"The judicial body is currently reviewing the plea agreements in this court case", it is stated in the communique of the Specialized Chambers.
A plea deal hearing is set for December 18.
The trial against Shala and Januzi, together with Ismet Bahtijar, was scheduled to open on November 14, 2024. In the decision to schedule tomorrow's hearing on this matter, it is stated that the plea agreement concluded between ZPS and Mr. Bahtijari does not fulfill the requirements.
The indictment against Haxhi Shala was confirmed on December 4, 2023 by the pre-trial judge. He was arrested on December 11, 2023, and a day later was transferred to the detention center in The Hague.
The Prosecutor's Office in The Hague has charged Shala with a three-count indictment: attempt to obstruct official persons in the performance of official duties through serious threat, attempt to obstruct official persons in the performance of official duties through participation in the joint action of a group and for intimidation during criminal proceedings.
According to the indictment, in the period between April 5 and 12, 2023, Shala, together with Sabit Januzi and Ismet Bahtijar (both accused by the Special), contacted a witness.
The indictment says that they, separately, met the witness, on two occasions, "to encourage him to withdraw his testimony, or not to testify in the official proceedings before the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, including through serious threats or promises of benefits ".
On December 15, 2023, Shala pleaded not guilty to the charges that the prosecution in The Hague accuses him of.
Ismet Bahtjari and Sabit Januzi were arrested on October 5, 2023 based on an arrest warrant issued by the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo (DHSK).
The prosecution, in December last year, had proposed that the Januzi and Bahtijari case be joined with the Shala case in a single trial.
The Specialized Chambers of Kosovo have so far announced two verdicts for obstruction in the administration of justice.
Two former figures of the KLA Veterans Organization, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, have been convicted for obstructing justice until now.
Meanwhile, on December 6, 2024, the Special Court in The Hague confirmed a new indictment against the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, as well as against four other persons for criminal offenses related to "allegations of illegal attempts to influence the testimony of witnesses in the war crimes trial Thaçi and others".
The Specialized Chambers of Kosovo said that the indictment was confirmed against Hashim Thaçi, the former Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuçi, the former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Bashkim Smakaj, the former mayor of Malisheva, Isni Kilaj, and Fadil Fazliu.
Meanwhile, the Special Court has also pronounced two verdicts for war crimes.
The Special Court was established in 2015 by the Assembly of Kosovo and is part of the judicial system of Kosovo, but operates with international personnel and is headquartered in The Hague.
The Specialized Chambers and the Specialized Prosecutor's Office investigate alleged crimes committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army against ethnic minorities and political rivals from January 1998 to December 2000.
Currently, several court cases are underway in the Specialized Chambers, including the case against the former leaders of the KLA - Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi - who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity./REL (A2 Televizion)
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