Crime/spy and somewhat appalling political news of the week (July 14, 2023)

Yep, it's a round-up like no other—i.e. read between the lines if you dare.

Albania

The dust is still shaking out from a police raid on the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MKO/MEK) in Albania that left one dead  June 24. At the time, Albanian police were attempting to seize computers and electronic devices, but an MKO member resisted (as member of such organizations do),  and was killed in a melee that left both MKO members and officers injured. Since there have been statements and denials over allegedly seized computers and storage devices having wound up in Iran, as well as those by the US government of being a supporter of MKO.

Regarding the former, the head of the “information” arm of the Iranian government, Sepehr Khalaji, stated in early July that hard drives and computers or computer parts had been retrieved since the raids, which would allow the identification of persons linked to the resistance in MKO. Iranian media has made much of said rumors—and cooperation between the Iranian and Albanian secret service--and there obviously would be risk to family or persons linked to MKO in Iran if this were true. News reports also claimed 150 computers were seized, and that the person killed was a key member of the  Abdolvahhab Faraji terrorist group.

This may not seem far-fetched either, as Albania was reportedly hit with wave after wave of Iranian-backed cyber attacks in the spring, which targeted government ministries and police, most likely for hosting MKO. Here it should be said that for years MKO was treated as a terrorist organization, but recently it has been somewhat tolerated by the US for its anti-Iran activities.

In fact, there may be more to this raid than first meets the eye, as in an interview with Der Spiegel, Prime Minister Edi Rama implied that Albania had had enough, stating that the country had accepted MKO members upon the request of former US President Barak Obama—but this does not mean “that they had the right to use Albania as a platform to wage war on Iran.”

Now how did the MKO wind up in Albania? This did take place during a 2013 agreement backed by both the US and the UN—despite the fact that the MKO killed US citizens in the 1970s, that it hit Iranian embassies abroad (repeatedly) and that it was for years listed as a terrorist organization. The US State Department has now said that “the United States does not see the [MKO] as a viable democratic opposition movement that is representative of the Iranian people,” as cited by Radio Free Europe.

Albanian prosecutors and the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) are seeking former Albanian Minister of Finance Arben A. on charges of corruption and money laundering, although he currently holds parliamentary immunity. Arben Al. allegedly did not properly fill out voluntary wealth reports, and he has been under investigation in a tender for waste incinerators worth hundreds of millions of euros.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)

The courts of BIH did not agree this week to the extradition of Slovak police officer Marian K., who was charged in Slovakia with accepting massive bribes to kill corruption investigations. Marian K. had previously been sought by Interpol and then restricted to remaining in BiH while extradition proceedings took place.

Czech Republic

A Czech-registered company, Kovosvit MAS is now suspected of having sold heavy machinery to Russia in breach of sanctions, according to Czech Radio, with reporters from the daily Denik N claiming that said machinery was exported through Turkey—with these reporters citing the Czech secret services (BIS).

Kosovo

Kosovo and Serbia may finally be de-escalating (although don’t count on it) as following “intense” meetings in Bratislava between EU negotiator for Kosovo Miroslav Lacjak and Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi, Lajcak stated as such. More specifically, he stated in a Tweet that he had “had intense bilateral discussions today in Bratislava with [Bislimi] on de-escalation of the situation in North Kosovo, in line with the EU27 statement from 3 June, and the way forward in implementing all Dialogue Agreements. We agreed on first steps towards this goal.”

Serbs boycotted previous elections, but the Kosovo government upheld the results despite only 3.5 percent voter turnout. This resulted in violent riots and a heavy Kosovo police presence to ensure that three Albanian mayors could take new positions in districts heavily dominated by ethnic Serbs.

Now the ethnic-Albanian dominated police forces will be reduced, starting near the mayors’ offices, and new elections are in the cards.

A statement from the government of Kosovo, as cited by Radio Free Europe/RFE read as follows: "The government of Kosovo, through this public statement, backs the holding of early elections in the four municipalities after the summer season.”

The two states have repeatedly been on close to war footing both prior to and since the controversial elections.

That said, news of the moves to reduce police forces prompted a brawl in Kosovo Parliament, when Democratic Party of Kosovo MP Mergim Lushtaku approached Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and threw water on him. Punches were thrown, chaos ensued, but it seems no one was hurt during the democratic… debate.

Lithuania

Lithuania just does not hold back when it comes to bashing Belarus and Russia, with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda calling Belarus a “Russian province” and stating that he told US President Joe Biden that Belarus is becoming “a problem” after a meeting during a Nato summit July 11. That same meeting, however, did not result in what the Baltics nor Ukraine has sought—i.e. a schedule for Ukraine to join Nato.

Poland

Warsaw-listed chemicals company Azoty saw shares belonging to Russian oligarch Vyacheslav Kantor seized by Polish authorities, according to Polish minister of Development Technology, Waldemar Buda, on July 11. Kantor had a 19.82 percent stake in the company, but now the shares reportedly will be sold to a more palatable bidder.

The Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) arrested an 18-year-old ISIS wannabe who contacted ISIS, but was apparently told he could not join until he pulled off something dramatic. Thus he planned to “blow up” the Sejm (the lower house of Parliament), but when that did not seem feasible decided to hit police headquarters in Zabkowice. He then decided not to anything, apparently, as he did not want to upset his sick mother. He was arrested, as reported by Onet.pl, once statements on the internet were picked up by the ABW, which monitors for such things.

It’s not all narcotics seizures in Poland, as this week it was announced that close cooperation between BiOSG, CBŚP, KAS and the Prosecutor's Office with the Slovak (KUFS) and Czech (CS ČR) services led to the breaking up of an excise gang, the arrest of 37 suspects, the liquidation of two illegal cigarette factories, a tobacco cutting plant, a technological line for the production of tobacco molasses and two cigarette warehouses. In Poland officers seized 70 tons of tobacco and nearly 13 million cigarettes. The total value of the secured goods amounted to approximately PLN 35 mln and tax deductions totaled at least PLN 75 mln.

Polish billionaire, brainchild behind Inpost and sponsor of Polish football, Rafal Brzoska,  is not happy and is re-considering his backing of said sport, following revelations that Miroslaw S., who was previously convicted of football-linked corruption, had traveled on a Polish Football Association (PZPN) trip to Moldavia at the invitation of another sponsor. Miroslaw S. was first busted in 2006 for attempting to throw football games, and he was later sentenced to three years in prison and fined.

"We are seriously considering continuing to support Polish football in the formula we have been observing recently," Brzoska wrote on Twitter.

Russia

Nope. Nobody really knows just where former Wagner leader Evgeniy Prigozhin is nor what on earth he is doing, as reports have recently placed him 1) in St. Petersburg where he was collecting his favorite pistols 2) in meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin himself 3) wearing a variety of disguises and wigs (and a blond Abraham Lincoln-meets-Chechen warlord beard and 4) nowhere in particular but deathly ill with cancer or 5) already dead. Putin has since come out to say that Wagner does not exist and that mercenary armies were never covered by law in Russia (but this is something for Russian law makers to deal with). Our bet… he may well be dead. Or as good as.

In the meantime, rumors of arrests in the military persist, and likewise there is the unknown fate of General “Armageddon” Sergey Surovikin, as he has been reported to have been under arrest (with a score of of other officers) but of also of having negotiated on behalf of… Wagner officers who certainly now do not seem to be heading to Belarus (but also do not seem to be back in the thick of fighting). Meanwhile, equipment, including heavy armor, has been handed over.

Meanwhile, Major-General Ivan Popov, commander of Russia’s 58th Combined Arms Army, also lost his temper (similarly to Prigozhin in the past), criticized the war effort… and lost his job.

This was generally speaking another tough week for Russian generals, as also Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov was reportedly killed by a missile attack, and Stanislav Rzhitsky, a Russian submarine commander, was assassinated (or murdered, depending on the motivation, we guess) while jogging in Krasnodar.

Serbia

The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Serbia’s State Security and Information Agency (BIA) chief Aleksandar Vulin this week, citing “corrupt and destabilizing acts” that have aided Russia.

The sanctions come at a difficult time for Serbia and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who has been constantly called on the carpet by the EU (along with Kosovo President Albin Kurti) over Serbia-Kosovo tensions.

“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned an individual in Serbia pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14033 […] the designation of Aleksandar Vulin (Vulin) underscores the United States’ determination to hold accountable those engaged in corrupt dealings that further their own political agendas and personal interests at the expense of peace and stability in the Western Balkans,” said a US Department of the Treasury release. “These corrupt dealings facilitate Russian malign activities in Serbia and the region.”

The release added that it had implicated Vulin in “transnational organized crime, illegal narcotics operations, and misuse of public office,” and that he had “maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with U.S.-designated Serbian arms dealer Slobodan Tesic, helping ensure that Tesic’s illegal arms shipments can move freely across Serbia’s borders.”

The sanctions effectively mean that US persons and institutions cannot deal with Vulin without risk of being hit by US enforcement actions.

That said, Vucic did not seem too bothered, pointing out that he was hit in 1998 with the same sanctions but he “didn’t care,” as cited by the Organized Crime and Corruption Project (OCCRP). He also dismissed US Treasury allegations that Vulin was linked to drug trafficking while remarking on the fact that cocaine had recently been found in the White House.

He added that Vulin had been targeted due to his “attitude toward Russia” and that Serbian politics will be neither dictated by the US nor by Russia.

Photo of Serbian head of intelligence Aleksandar Vulin by Medija centar Beograd, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.