A protected prosecution staff member testified on Monday in the trial against Hashim Thaçi and others for obstruction of justice, explaining why Rrustem Mustafa, known as Remi, was not granted protective measures as a witness in the war crimes case against Thaçi.
The protected witness, identified by code 7, stated that Mustafa had previously testified openly and is a well-known public figure in Kosovo, reports “Betimi për Drejtësi.”
“Earlier this morning, I explained how the prosecutor decides on protective measures; whether the person is public and well known, whether the person has previously testified in public hearings and openly before international or domestic courts. As for Mr. Mustafa — he has testified openly before and is a very well-known person and figure in Kosovo,” he said.
During the hearing, defense lawyer Sophie Menegon noted that Rrustem Mustafa had given testimony in July 2023 in the war crimes case.
In this context, Menegon presented a document showing that in 2018, Arianit Koci, acting as Rrustem Mustafa’s lawyer, had informed authorities that his client would be interviewed by the Prosecution in January 2019.
Despite objections from the Prosecution regarding relevance, the document was admitted into evidence at Menegon’s request.
Subsequently, additional documents were presented in which Remi himself stated that he had been interviewed in the capacity of a suspect witness, as well as a later interview in which he provided details about his testimony. All of these were admitted into material evidence at the request of lawyer Menegon.
