Yesterday President Ilir Meta demanded the installation of a parliamentary commission to investigate into the recent activity of the Albanian National Security Agency (DSIK). The demand came after it was revealed that DSIK had hastily provided security clearance for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s nominee for minister of foreign affairs, Gent Cakaj, only to be rejected by President Meta.
Within 24 hours following his request, the DSIK provided Cakaj with security certificates that would enable him to deal with secret information at national, NATO and EU levels. Cakaj has e dual citizenship (Kosovo and Albania), and he lived for relatively long periods in Hungary and Belgium. The President considered DSIK’s issuance of security certificates hasty and in breach of procedures and legislation. Moreover, Cakaj had not previously obtained security clearance for more than seven months while he was deputy minister of foreign affairs, thus violating the law, according to the president.
DSIK is the agency responsible for providing security clearance for high officials in Albania. The agency is directly dependent on the Prime Minister’s office.
DSIK is also a key institution in the ongoing justice reform in Albania. It provides the Independent Qualification Commission (KPK) with background checks for judges and prosecutors undergoing the vetting process. DSIK’s information on magistrates’ background is one of the main components the KPK considers in its rulings on whether they are fit to continue to exercise their duty under the new justice system.
