The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo has filed an indictment against the defendant Fatmir Sheholli for two criminal offenses, “Espionage” and “Blackmail”.
The indictment states that a document named “Butterfly” was found on the phone of the accused Sheholli, which was compiled by the Serbian State Security structures in 2001 and which describes an operational plan to compromise and recruit the current acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, while he was serving his sentence in Serbian prisons.
Through that material, the aim was to exert pressure on Kurti to cooperate with the RDB.
“From the analysis of evidence Z#4.1, namely the document named ‘Leptiri’, found on the phone of the defendant Fatmir Sheholli, it results that it is a document compiled by the structures of the Serbian State Security (RDB) in 2001, which describes an operational plan for the compromise and recruitment of Albin Kurti while he was serving his sentence in Serbian prisons.
“From the analysis of the communications extracted from the defendant’s phone, it results that he forwarded this document to various persons, as well as requested its translation from Serbian into Albanian. These actions, assessed together with the other communications and materials recorded on the defendant’s phone, are relevant to prove his contacts, connections and cooperation with persons and structures related to the Serbian security services, as well as his role in forwarding and distributing materials originating from these structures,” the indictment states.
Sheholli sent this document, according to the indictment and as he claimed, to “Milazim Gashi, a friend of mine who is in the Albanian SHISH named Dritan Gjoni, head of the SHISH in Durrës, he sent it to Blerim Canaj and a person named Bashkim Pushkolli, but I am not sure if I sent it to him.”
Based on the Facebook communication, Sheholli sent the document to Canaj on March 26, 2024.
“These actions, assessed together with the communications and other materials recorded on the defendant’s phone, are relevant to proving his contacts, connections and cooperation with persons and structures linked to the Serbian security services, as well as his role in the transmission and distribution of materials originating from these structures,” the indictment, which refers to Kurti, states, among other things.
It is further stated that this evidence seized from Sheholli is a document signed by the head of Sector III of the Serbian State Security (RDB).
The indictment of the Special Prosecution Office states that the defendant’s own testimony proves that “where does this document come from?”
– Defendant: Bojan Dimic sent this document to my phone.
– Prosecutor: To whom did you distribute the “Butterfly” document that you received from Bojan Dimic?
– Defendant: I sent this to Milazim Gashi, a friend of mine who is in the SHISH of Albania named Dritan Gjoni – Head of SHISH in Durres, I sent it to Blerim Canaj and a person named Bashkim Pushkolli but I’m not sure if I sent it to him.
Kurti was arrested on April 27, 1999 in Pristina. Until May 2, 1999, he was in Pristina prison. From May 2 to June 10, in Lipjan prison. From June 10 to December 13, 1999, in Pozarevac prison. From there, he was transferred to Niš prison, where he remained until December 7, 2001. /koha.net/