At the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, the hearing of the second witness in the trial against Hashim Thaci, Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu, and Hajredin Kuci for obstruction of justice has begun.
Questions from prosecutor Joshua Hafetz to the Dutch witness, Koen Herlaar, were partially heard in a private session. The accused are present in the courtroom, except for Hashim Thaci, who is following the hearing via video link.
The prosecution began questioning the forensic expert from the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) this morning. He is the second witness called by the Specialist Chambers in the case against Thaçi and the others for obstruction of justice.
Earlier, during the prosecutor’s questioning, a document was presented described as his “CV,” which included information on whether it contained examinations conducted at the request of the Specialist Chambers for this judicial case.
The forensic expert confirmed that the CV includes the examinations carried out at the request of the Specialist Chambers.
Prosecutor: Does the CV on the screen also contain information related to some of the cases you have handled as an expert at the Forensic Institute?
Witness: Yes, general information related to this topic
Prosecutor: You mentioned this briefly earlier, but I want to clarify: who usually requests this work? Which authority asks you to conduct this type of expertise?
Witness: As I mentioned before, it is mainly the Dutch criminal justice system that requests these types of expert analyses. Under Dutch law, it is the investigating judge who requests me to carry out this work.
Prosecutor: Does your CV include training relevant to the examination you conducted at the request of the Specialist Chambers for this case, for which you issued the report on December 14, 2023?
Witness: Yes, this type of information is in the CV. Additionally, I provided a supplement to the CV because some information might have been missing, so I included an appendix listing all my expertise relevant to your report,” the Dutch witness said.
The Dutch witness stated that he is responsible for preparing forensic expert reports and for reviewing and analyzing reports written by other colleagues.
In the courtroom, Herlaar added that he has reviewed 100 reports as a second expert, related to “tracing, lines, and pressure.” Prosecutor’s questions then continued in a private session.
He initially stated that the Netherlands Forensic Institute is an agency under the Ministry of Security and Justice. He also explained that the Institute examines “evidence for judges, partners, and criminal justice cases.” He has been working at the Institute since February 2009.
Portions of this witness’s testimony will remain confidential, and the judge instructed the parties to move to a private session when necessary.
At the start of the hearing, it was noted that Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, and Fadil Fazliu had requested changes to their release conditions. However, this issue was not elaborated on, and the prosecution was asked to submit their motions at a later stage.
Hashim Thaçi, Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu, and Hajredin Kuçi, accused of obstruction of justice, have pleaded not guilty before the bench.
The prosecution claims to possess evidence, including audio recordings from the Detention Center in The Hague.
Defense lawyers have challenged these claims, stating that the prosecution’s evidence does not prove the commission of the criminal acts they are accused of.
Thaci and the others are accused of allegedly giving instructions and confidential information to witnesses during visits to The Hague in 2023, related to the war crimes trial.
