Net Closes on Suspected Kosovo Gang Boss in Ireland

The Ministry confirmed to Balkan Insight that the paperwork to start the extradition of Enver Sekiraqa from Ireland is in its final stages. Sekiraqa is wanted for organised crime and the murder of a police officer in Kosovo.

Sekiraqa was located by Irish police in November last year and has been under 24-hour police surveillance since.

He is wanted under an Interpol red notice on charges of murder, extortion, attempted extortion, two counts of rape and grievous bodily harm.

“Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice and Irish authorities are in the final stages of fulfilling the legal basis for his arrest and we are at the beginning of the extradition procedure,” Ehat Miftari from the department for international judicial cooperation within the Ministry of Justice told Balkan Insight.

Sekiraqa is wanted for the murder of Triumf Riza, a member of Kosovo's special police force, who was shot dead in August 2007 on the streets of Pristina by a hitman suspected of working for Sekiraqa.

Kosovo sent a request for Sekiraqa to be extradited on November 17 and he was arrested by Irish police a few days later.

To date, Kosovo does not have a bilateral extradition agreement with Ireland, which currently has agreements only with Australia and the US outside of the European Union.

Kosovo cannot sign extradition treaties with EU member states as it is not part of the Council of Europe, but bilateral agreements with respective countries are allowed.

Pristina has submitted requests to 40 countries for bilateral extradition agreements, although only a handful have so far agreed, including Switzerland, Albania and Norway.