Hashim Thaci and co‑defendants accused of influencing witnesses at The Hague trial
Prosecutors say recordings and documents show Thaci organised groups to shape testimony and instructed co‑defendants to change prior statements.
The Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague on September 10, 2026, heard closing arguments from the prosecution in a case accusing former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci and several others of attempting to influence witness testimony.
The prosecution says the trial for obstruction, which began in late February 2026, targets Thaci along with former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Isni Kilaj, former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency Bashkim Smakaj, former KLA fighter Fadil Fazliu and former justice minister Hajredin Kuci.
Prosecutors cite recordings and documents
At the hearing Chief Prosecutor Kimberly West said the Thaci case contains “hours of recordings and documents that testify to obstruction of justice.” The prosecution told the court that Thaci and the other accused organised small groups of people who knew particular witnesses and sought to shape their testimony to suit Thaci’s interests.
West also told judges that Thaci had instructed the other defendants on how to alter their previous statements, according to the prosecution’s presentation during the final arguments.
The obstruction case is linked to a separate, long-running trial in which Thaci and three other former KLA commanders — Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi — are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 1998–1999 conflict. The four were detained in The Hague on November 4 and 5, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The related war-crimes trial began at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague on April 3, 2023. In early February 2026 the prosecution asked for 45 years in prison for each of the four former KLA leaders, and the court said it will announce their sentences on September 16, 2026.
Photo: press material from the event
