Trial against Haradinaj and Gucati: That's when they're gonna face the witness.

The first witness to the Specialised Prosecutor's Office in the case of former heads of the KLA War Veterans Organisation will be heard on 18 September.

The regular court process has started today with the SPS opening statement, the indictment has been read, and the statement of the accused has been made that they are innocent.

The ZPS has submitted parts of Hysni Gucatt and Nasim Haradinaj's video conferences, and parts of interviews they have given in various shows where they have opposed the Special Court and declared that they will publish any material that reaches their offices.

According to the SPS, such statements testify that the accused were aware they were publishing confidential information.

According to the prosecution, Haradinaj's Gucati has distributed confidential information to the Special Investigative Task Force for Kosovo and the Specialised Prosecutor's Office in order to prevent the court's work through witness intimidation and revenge against them.

According to prosecutor Valeria Bolic, the evidence will indicate that the accused knew what they were doing and acted deliberately even though they knew they were breaking the law.

Mr. Gucati and Mr. Haradinaj found hundreds of pages of confidential documents belonging to TFHS investigations, looked at these documents, made a detailed assessment of the types of information containing documents, realized that these documents were confidential. Then did indictees contact Z. To understand why confidential documents had come, no, did they address the judges of this court or the Kosovo Police, no, take any steps to report to any authority that confidential documents had come to them, not to take any of these steps. But what did they do? Immediately they organised a press conference to make public documents, to distribute as soon as possible before anyone could stop, Valeria Bolic said.

She's said that “crimes were conducted before cameras” and continued to present to the Court the video panel of accused related documents that were sent to OVL offices a year earlier. KLA from an unidentified person.

The prosecutor has presented images of Nasim Haradinaj making it available to the media to photograph documents that had arrived at their offices.

“Nasim Haradinaj and Hysni Gucati on the side told the media that these documents were confidential and top secret, and of course they knew that, they checked the documents... Mr. Haradinaj told the media where the documents contained, I'm reading from the transcript, they're the names of all the witnesses who say they're in their defense, all of them. And he goes on to say, "You can guarantee witness protection when everyone can read these today." These words of Mr. Haradinaj addressed witnesses who had given information, evidence, testimony, SPS, to make them feel exposed, endangered and vulnerable”, the prosecutor said.

According to the prosecution, the accused have encouraged those attending conferences to see the documents and take them with them, saying they contain secret information for witnesses, including their names and surnames.

The SPS has stated that indictees have openly acknowledged in public presentation their desire to undermine the judicial process and obstruct the work of the Special Court.

The trial against Gucat and Haradinaj, launched today, will continue on 18 October with the hearing of the first witness to the Specialised Prosecutor's Office.

Former OVL-KLA leaders are charged with criminal acts against justice administration, namely obstructing official persons in performing official duties, fearing witnesses, revenge, and violating the secret of the procedure.

They have been arrested on 25 September 2020 in Pristina since they were also held at The Hague detention centre.