The head of Albania’s State Intelligence Service, Vlora Hyseni. Photo: LSA.
Anti-corruption prosecutors on Tuesday placed Vlora Hyseni, head of Albania’s State Intelligence Service, SHISH, under house arrest and suspended her for allegedly revealing state secrets and assisting an offender.
The Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime, SPAK, has also questioned the former Chief of Police, Ilir Proda, it announced. Media reported that Hyseni is not currently in Albania.
SPAK added that a sector head of the Forensic Police and a businessman had been arrested in relation to the same case.
Hyseni is being investigated over a corruption scandal surrounding tenders of the national agency overseeing the development of state information systems, the National Agency for Information Society, AKSHI.
Hyeni has headed the SHISH, the most important institution handling national security, since 2023, and her alleged involvement with the AKSHI corruption scandal potentially marks the most serious crisis over national security in the country’s history.
Hyseni was appointed head of SHISH after serving as Prime Minister’s Edi Rama national security adviser for about two years. She had earlier been deputy director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, KIA, but was dismissed from that post in June 2021 by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
Her appointment as head of SHISH in 2023 was controversial because of her Kosovo citizenship and the unclear reason for her dismissal from Kosovo’s top security institution.
Meanwhile, former police chief Proda was seen at SPAK offices on Tuesday where, according to the media, he was questioned in relation to the AKSHI scandal and his house was searched.
AKSHI coordinates the development of state information systems and digitalisation procedures and administers the state public services portal, e-Albania.
The agency has managed a massive budget; some 19 of its procedures investigated by SPAK alone had an estimated total value of 5.9 billion lek, or about 59 million euros.
The SPAK investigation alleges that AKSHI’s director, Mirlinda Karcanaj, and her deputy, Hava Delibashi, placed many of these funds in the hands of a group linked to organised crime, pre-selected tender winners and ensured the diversion of tens of millions of euros into the accounts of IT businessman Ermal Beqiraj and Ergys Agasi.
Agasi is accused of forming a criminal group with Beqiraj to rig and extort tenders from the AKSHI, even using violence and hostage-taking.
Agasi was arrested in August 27 after being on the run for months. Beqiraj was arrested earlier in France on July 24 while flying a light aircraft through restricted airspace over a nuclear power plant.
Karcanaj, Delibashi and Agasi all deny charges while Beqiraj is still under arrest in France. SPAK alleges that he transferred a portion of his illicit proceeds to France, using the cash to purchase a château, two apartments and motor vehicles, while also depositing over 2 million euros in bank accounts.
The alleged involvement of top security officials in this scheme, providing criminals with information and assisting them, has left many in the country in shock.
“Whenever something happens, we say: ‘This is the end; nothing worse than this could possibly happen.’ But in this country, the problem is that even the end has no end,” Mentor Kikia, a journalist and analyst, wrote on Facebook.
The opposition has urged President Bajram Begaj to call an urgent meeting of the State Security Council.
Ruling Socialist Party MPs are urging caution. “We must await the final judicial verdict. Nothing is true until proven by the courts,” Blendi Cuci, a Socialist MP, told a meeting of parliament’s Committee on Internal Affairs and Defence, after opposition MPs asked for the issue to be urgently included in parliamentary sessions.
Facts Only
* Vlora Hyseni, head of SHISH, was placed under house arrest and suspended.
* Anti-corruption prosecutors suspended Hyseni for allegedly revealing state secrets and assisting an offender.
* The Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) questioned former Chief of Police Ilir Proda.
* A sector head of the Forensic Police and a businessman were arrested in relation to the case.
* Hyseni is being investigated over a corruption scandal concerning tenders for the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI).
* The investigation concerns the AKSHI corruption scandal involving funds related to state information systems.
* Mirlinda Karcanaj, director of AKSHI, and Hava Delibashi were alleged to have placed funds with organized crime-linked entities.
* Ermal Beqiraj and Ergys Agasi were allegedly involved in the diversion of funds into their accounts.
* Agasi is accused of forming a criminal group with Beqiraj to rig tenders from AKSHI.
* Agasi was arrested on August 27 after being on the run for months.
* Beqiraj was arrested in France on July 24.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative presents a convergence of high-level security apparatus, institutional corruption, and transnational organized crime, suggesting a systemic failure where state security structures may facilitate illicit financial flows rather than protect national interests. The controversy surrounding Hyseni’s appointment to lead SHISH, particularly given her previous dismissal from Kosovo's security agency, introduces an element of political and historical opacity that complicates the security implications of the corruption allegations. The linkage between high-level officials like those within AKSHI and organized crime figures, involving international elements such as arrests in France related to assets and illicit transfers, implies a structure where state authority is leveraged for criminal gain.
The pattern suggests that when institutions responsible for national security and managing large public funds are implicated in corruption, the resulting crisis transcends mere financial malfeasance; it becomes an existential challenge to the perceived integrity of the state itself. The juxtaposition of Hyseni’s role at the apex of national security with these specific financial crimes invites inquiry into how institutional hierarchies can be compromised from within. A crucial question is whether the alleged involvement by top security officials was a function of systemic vulnerability or deliberate exploitation, and what mechanisms allowed such collusion to persist despite formal oversight structures.
What accountability mechanisms exist for senior officials when their positions intersect national security and public finance? How do historical political decisions regarding appointments influence the perceived legitimacy of current investigations into state-related crimes? And what is the long-term impact on public trust when allegations suggest that the very entities tasked with safeguarding the state are entangled with criminal networks?
Sentinel — Human
The text functions as a factual report on a high-profile legal and security investigation in Albania, characterized by reporting judicial proceedings and political reaction.