Who are prosecutors investigating former KLA members

Investigations into these former KLA members have committed a long-captive group of prosecutors in criminal investigations, especially war crimes, crimes against humanity, as well as other criminal acts related to corruption and trafficking in persons.

Some of the prosecutors who have been submitted to the tribunal so far have worked earlier in Kosovo. Some of them have investigated former KLA members for corrupt relatives, as well as murders.

But who are these prosecutors?

Jack Smith

Specialised Prosecutor

Jack Smith has been appointed in the post of attorney specialised in September 2018.

Smith has a long career in investigating high-profile political crimes in the United States.

From 2008 to 2010, Smith was co-ordinator for investigations at the Prosecutor's Office at the International Criminal Court (GJPN).

In this position, he supervised delicate investigations by officials of various governments and militia, of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

From 2010-2015, he led the Department of Justice for Public Integrity, where he supervised the prosecution of complicated cases for public corruption throughout the United States.

From 2015 to 2017, he acted as the first federal assistant and the officer of the federal prosecutor's task for the middle region in Tennessee.

While working in Washington, Smith was watching Corruption Issues Against former Virginia Governor Bob McDonell, former House of Representatives member Rick Renzi, and New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Alex Whitting

Specialised Prosecutor's Vice

Whiting is chief of investigation of the Special Prosecutor's Office. There is a long experience in the field of prosecutions, including the working period for the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Whiting has investigated former KLA members earlier. It was done by 2002 to 2007, where the chief prosecutor was in the case of Fatmir Limaj, Isak Musliu, and Haradin Balaj.

Also, within The Hague Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Whitting was the chief prosecutor even in the case of former Croatian Serb elite Milan Martic and Dragomir Milosevic, sentenced to 35 years for the shelling of Sarajevo.

In the US, Whitting has held important positions where it has largely investigated organised crime cases and corruption.

Alan Tieger

Chief prosecutor in the case Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselini, Rexhep Selimi, Jakup Krasniqi.

Alan Tieger is the senior prosecutor of the Specialised Prosecutor's Office, with American citizenship and extensive experience in both the United States and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Tieger has dealt with investigating crimes in the spaces of the former Yugoslavia. He has been the chief prosecutor in very important cases in the trials against Croatian General Ante Gotovina, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, Momcilo Krajisnik, Darko Mrrgjas and Biljana Plavsic.

Also, Tieger has been involved in the trial of the Dusko Tadic case, as well as in the case of Ratko Mladic, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Tieger worked as well as federal prosecutor at the Civil Rights Criminal Section in the United States Department of Justice from 1987 to 1994, where he prosecuted cases of racial violence and police brutality throughout the country.

What are Thaci, Veselin, Selimi, Krasniqi accused of?

The prosecution accuses Thaci, Veselin, Krasniqi and Selimi of committing war crimes against hundreds of civilians and persons who did not participate in the fighting.

The indictment allegedly claims that from March 1998 to September 1999, Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselini, Rexhep Selimi, Jakup Krasniqi and other members of <x0 criminal establishments have shared the same goal of taking and exercising control all over Kosovo with all means, including intimidation, mistreatment, the exercise of violence and elimination of those whom they considered to be rivals”. Actus against Thaci, Veselin, Krasniqi and Selimi

The prosecution claims the victims were mostly people who were perceived during wartime as collaborators of Serbian forces, officials or state institutions, or even not supporting KLA goals.

This, according to the indictment, included persons linked to the Democratic League of Kosovo DK and persons of Serbian, Roma and other ethnicities”.

David Harbach

Prosecutor

Harbach was part of the Prosecutor's Office specialised in September 2019, where he exercises the prosecutor's position.

He has a long career in the U.S.

One of his most important positions is that of the Prosecutor in Washington of the United States.

Also, in 2014 and 2015 he was Special Adviser of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in Washington.

Valerie Bolic

Prosecutor in Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj case

For several years, Bolic has been working for the European Mission for the End of Law in Kosovo HINA (EULEX).

It is especially known for the trial case known as “Medicus”, where suspects were accused of trafficking with human beings, organised crime and serious bodily injury.

Enter the Gucati and Nasim HaradinaPatching... They were arrested on 25 September by Kosovo's Specialised Chambers, where they were later transferred to the detention centre in The Hague.

Haradinaj's weapons are charged with criminal acts against justice administration, respectively, with intimidation of witnesses, revenge and violation of the secret procedure”.

Caesar Michalzuk

Prosecutor in the Salih Mustafa case

Prosecutor Caesar Michalzuk is known to the Kosovo public, after working for the European Mission for the Endim of Law (EULEX).

Michalzuk was the prosecutor in the case known as “Drenica Group”, where the accused were Sylejman Selimi, Sami Lushtaku, Sabit Geci, Ismet Haja, Sahit Jashar, Jahir Demaku and Avni Zabel.

In this case, Michalzuk led the investigation after Italian prosecutor Maurizio Salustro left.

Michalzuk has led the investigation into corruption allegations concerning the public company Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK), as well as the indictment against former Kosovo Special Prosecutor Nazmi Mustaf in 2012.

Andrew. Carney

Prosecutor

Andrew Carney, too, was part of the European Mission for Sunding Law (EULEX).

Carney, as EULEX prosecutor, managed to send him before the court. Enver Sekiraqen, who was accused of pushing Kosovo Police member Triumf Riza.

Carney inherited this case from a colleague, but despite that, he managed to convince the court that Sekiraqa has pushed a man to kill Officer Riza.

In his first trial, Riza was sentenced to 37 years in prison. The case later went to retrial, and Sekiraqa was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Sylvia D'Assole

Prosecutor

D'Assel is an Italian lawyer and a prosecutor in the international criminal field.

From 2007 to 2016, she worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia's Office and has been involved in investigations into Serbian General Ratko Mladic.

In addition to these prosecutors, there are other prosecutors under the Special Prosecutorship, but they have not yet appeared before the tribunal.

Lawyers of former KLA members

So far the Specialised Chambers have confirmed the indictment for Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselin, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi, as well as Salih Mustafen.

These former KLA members have hired defence lawyers who have a long career, especially in the area of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

These lawyers have won known cases related to war crimes, including genocide in Rwanda, killings in the wars of the former Yugoslavia's spaces, as well as war crimes committed in various parts of the world.

Among the most famous lawyers who have engaged former KLA members are former President Hashim Thaci, American Pierre Richard Prosper, British David Hooper, the lawyers of Kadri Wessel, Ben Emmerson, Andrew. Kayley, as well as Rexhep Selim's lawyer, David Young. / REL/