Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) on Tuesday announced house arrest for Vlora Hyseni, head of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH). She was simultaneously suspended from her duties.
Hyseni is suspected of disclosing classified information and aiding an offender. The case is linked to a wider corruption investigation into the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI), which manages Albania’s digital public services and IT infrastructure.
According to local media, the measure had not yet been enforced at the time of the announcement: Hyseni was outside Albania, attending a security conference in Baku. Prime Minister Edi Rama, speaking from New York where he is attending the UN General Assembly, said he had already relieved her of her post and, after consulting the president, would appoint a new head of the intelligence service. “Everyone is innocent until a final court ruling is issued, but no one is above the law,” Rama wrote.
This is the first time in Albania’s history that a SHISH chief has been placed under a pre-trial restriction. The investigation is tied to materials seized from businessman Ergys Agasi, a figure in the case over alleged manipulation of AKSHI tenders. In the same operation, searches were carried out at the home of former State Police director Ilir Proda, and a forensic police sector chief and a businessman were arrested.
Hyseni has headed SHISH since 2023. She previously served as deputy director of Kosovo’s intelligence service and as Rama’s national security adviser.
