While today the verdict was expected against former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI), Driton Gashi, accused in the “Gülenists” case, the judicial panel decided in today’s session to reopen the trial.
Present at the session were prosecutor Habibe Salihu-Shamolli and Gashi’s defense attorney, Florent Latifaj, but the accused, Driton Gashi, was absent.
The presiding judge of the panel, Violeta Namani, stated that, for the purpose of gathering additional evidence and other facts, the court has issued a decision to reopen the trial.
Adding that the next session will be scheduled once the material evidence is secured, Namani emphasized that this is being done to ensure a complete and fair verification of the criminal case.
“The judicial panel, after consultation and voting, and then in conclusion, in accordance with the article, issues a decision. The trial in this criminal case is reopened for the purpose of gathering additional evidence and facts. All of this is done to ensure a complete and fair verification of the criminal case. The next session will be scheduled at the moment when the material evidence is secured,” Namani said.
In this criminal case, in his capacity as head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI), Driton Gashi is accused of being directly involved in the deportation of six Turkish citizens from Kosovo, violating legal procedures.
On July 19, 2023, the Basic Court found the former AKI chief, Driton Gashi, guilty and sentenced him to four years and eight months in prison, while Valon Krasniqi and Rrahman Sylemani were acquitted.
In December 2024, the Court of Appeals returned the case for a retrial only regarding the part of the verdict concerning the accused Driton Gashi, while confirming the acquittal of the other two accused.
According to the indictment filed by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo on February 24, 2021, Driton Gashi is accused, as a public official at the time of the criminal act, serving as the General Director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI) from March 23, 2018, to March 29, 2018, in Pristina, with the aim of forcibly and unlawfully deporting citizens of the Republic of Turkey—Cihan Ozkan, Yusuf Karabina, Kahraman Demirez, Hasan Hyseyn Demir, and Mustafa Erden, who had legal residence permits and the right to work in Kosovo, as well as Osman Karakoya, who had applied for a residence permit in Kosovo and whose procedure had not yet been completed—and handing them over to Turkish authorities.
