Albanian court suspends intelligence chief Vlora Hyseni in state secrets leak probe
An anti-corruption court in Tirana has suspended State Intelligence Service director Vlora Hyseni and placed her under house arrest over allegations that she leaked classified files to an IT contractor.
Arrest and border surrender
Albanian authorities placed the director of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH), Vlora Hyseni, under house arrest on 22 September 2026 following an order from the Special Court Against Corruption and Organised Crime (GJKKO). The Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) opened proceedings against Hyseni on suspicion of disclosing classified state secrets to unauthorised parties. Prior to the execution of the court order, Hyseni was in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she participated in an international counter-terrorism forum. She travelled back to Albania through Kosovo and surrendered to border police at the Morina crossing point before being escorted to Tirana. The anti-corruption court formally suspended Hyseni from her duties to prevent interference with the ongoing criminal proceedings.
The AKSHI procurement inquiry
The charges against Hyseni connect directly to a wider anti-corruption investigation into the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI), the public agency managing Albania's IT infrastructure and digital public services. Prosecutors allege that Hyseni disclosed confidential investigative files to businessman Ergys Agasi to help him avoid capture by law enforcement authorities. Agasi had evaded arrest for more than eight months before police apprehended him on 26 August 2026 for participating in an organised scheme to manipulate public tenders. Multiple state officials and business figures remain under investigation or in detention for the misuse of public money through AKSHI contracts. Hyseni could not be reached for comment following the announcement of the court order.
- Vlora Hyseni appointed director of SHISH by Prime Minister Edi Rama
- Prime Minister Edi Rama dismisses Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku over graft allegations
- Fugitive businessman Ergys Agasi arrested in connection with AKSHI public tender fraud
- Court orders house arrest for Vlora Hyseni after she surrenders at the Morina border crossing
Scope of police and forensic detentions
The SPAK investigation reaches into top levels of Albania's policing and forensic apparatus. Former State Police Director General Ilir Proda, who was dismissed from his post earlier in 2026, appeared before prosecutors on the morning of 22 September 2026 after law enforcement searched his residence and confiscated his mobile phone. While the court imposed no precautionary restrictions on Proda, authorities arrested the director of the forensic police laboratory and a police criminalist. The procurement inquiry also involves businessman Ermal Beqiraj, who was arrested in France in late August 2026, alongside Agasi.
Political reactions and institutional fallout
Prime Minister Edi Rama, present in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, announced that he relieved Hyseni of her leadership post at SHISH and would nominate a new director in consultation with Albania's president. Hyseni, a Kosovo native and former deputy intelligence chief in Kosovo, had led the agency since 2023 following a nomination by Rama that drew criticism over her previous dismissal in Pristina. Rama commented on the case through a public statement on social media platform X.
Everyone is innocent until a final court ruling is issued, but no one is above the law.
The suspension adds to scrutiny surrounding Rama's administration, which dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku over graft accusations in February 2026 before parliament voted against lifting her immunity from arrest. European Union officials noted that the enforcement of anti-corruption standards remains a decisive requirement for Albania's stated goal of achieving EU membership by 2030.
