Kosovo Intelligence Agency Needs Reform, MPs Say

The Kosovo's parliament's commission supervising the Intelligence Agency, KIA, has urged authorities to take measures after several scandals hit the security institution.

Fadil Demaku, deputy head of parliament's commission for the KIA, said the recent scandals concerning the agency had “had a very bad impact on its image among the public.

“Concrete measures should be taken to halt this negative trend in this institution”, he said, adding that the scandals had “affected the sensitive work of the agency, which is responsible for the security of the country”.

His comments reflect recent dissatisfaction concerning the work of the agency.

Media reports earlier this year said the head of the anti-terrorism department of the agency had had to resign as a result of pressure that senior officials in the agency put on him.

The KIA, the only mechanism responsible for vetting all institutions and employees in the country, has been harshly criticized also for its work in this field.

Haxhi Shala, a member of the commission from the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, said: “The only positive thing at the Kosovo Intelligence Agency is its infrastructure. Nothing else.”

The agency came under the spotlight again last week when the police arrested and questioned Isuf Lumi, a member of the KIA, on suspicion of falsifying his high school diploma and issuing documents with false content.

Lumi was suspended by the agency, but Demaku said that more needs to be done. "In order to fix problems, things need to start from above [from the top level],” he said.

Demaku said the agency will ask Bashkim Smakaj, the head of the KIA, and the inspector of Kosovo intelligence, to report on recent events during the...