In 2017, the newspaper Koha Ditore published audio recordings allegedly implicating Emin Beqiri, former Director of Economic Crimes in the Kosovo Police, and businessman Rrahim Hashimi in soliciting a €100,000 bribe to halt a criminal investigation. The case, widely known as Sekseri ("The Middleman" in Albanian), led to an indictment in 2018, charging the defendants with several criminal offenses. Nonetheless, despite the allegations, the Court of Appeals dismissed all charges except a fraud offense against Hashimi, effectively absolving the defendants of the alleged bribery.

In May 2017, the newspaper Koha Ditore and Kohavision television published intercepted recordings implicating Emin Beqiri, former Director of the Economic Crimes Directorate in the Kosovo Police, in a bribery scheme (see here and here). Beqiri allegedly assured executive officials of the non-governmental organization Center for Advocacy and Diplomacy (QAD) that he, alongside mediator and businessman Rrahim Hashimi, would close a case against them in exchange for a €100,000 bribe. In 2016, the Special Prosecutor’s Office had launched an investigation into QAD officials on suspicion that they were operating pyramid schemes to defraud farmers.

The published evidence, corroborated by multiple sources, reportedly documented the connection between Beqiri and Hashimi, highlighting their frequent interactions and efforts to arrange bribes to expedite the resolution of the investigation. The case became publicly known as Sekseri ('The Middleman' in Albanian), named after the mediating role Hashimi played in the bribery scheme.

The media allegations prompted an investigation into the offense. On 02 May 2018, the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo filed an indictment against the two suspects: Emin Beqiri faced charges of 'abuse of official position or authority,' 'obstruction of evidence or official proceedings,' and 'failure to report criminal offenses or their perpetrators.' Rrahim Hashimi was charged with 'influence peddling' and 'fraud.'

According to the indictment, in December 2016, Emin Beqiri, then Director of Economic Crimes in the Kosovo Police, requested €100,000 from Valmir Hajrullahu and Freskim Buqaj, officials of the Center for Advocacy and Diplomacy (QAD), who were under investigation by the Economic Crimes Directorate for suspected fraud. The payment was sought to close the case against them. The request was made by Rrahim Hashimi on behalf of Beqiri.

The indictment alleged that Beqiri shared confidential information with Hashimi, who then informed Hajrullahu and Buqaj that court-ordered raids on their properties would not occur. Hashimi attempted to persuade them to pay €100,000 to halt the investigation but failed to secure the payment. As a result, legal proceedings were initiated against Hajrullahu and Buqaj.

Subsequently, the victims’ parents, Rexhet Hajrullahu and Qazim Buqaj, reportedly paid Hashimi €50,000 to reopen their businesses and intended to pay an additional €50,000 to close the ongoing case. In December 2016, Rexhet Hajrullahu paid Hashimi €16,000 and €9,000 in separate installments, while Qazim Buqaj gave €25,000.

Beqiri was also charged with obstruction of justice for failing to send an "iPhone 6" belonging to Valmir Hajrullahu to the laboratory for a court-ordered examination between January and March 2017. Additionally, Hajrullahu noticed that conversations and photos had been deleted from his phone. Beqiri also faced charges for failing to report a crime, as he did not disclose that Hashimi had collected money on his behalf.

Hashimi, meanwhile, was accused of accepting €50,000 from the victims’ relatives and demanding another €50,000 to expedite legal proceedings. He was also charged with influencing Beqiri’s decisions. Finally, Hashimi was accused of defrauding multiple citizens between 2009 and 2017. He allegedly leveraged his friendship with an attaché at the Hungarian Embassy to apply for visas on behalf of various individuals, misrepresenting them as employees of his company.

On 16 May 2018, during the preliminary hearing before the Basic Court of Prishtina, both defendants pleaded not guilty. On 25 June 2018, the Basic Court confirmed the indictment, while the defendants filed a complaint with the Court of Appeals, requesting its dismissal.

On 20 September 2018, the Court of Appeals acquitted Emin Beqiri of all charges due to insufficient evidence, resulting in the dismissal of the criminal proceedings against him. Furthermore, on 18 October 2018, the Court partially upheld Hashimi's appeal, terminating the criminal proceedings against him for influence peddling. However, the Appeals Court did not dismiss the "fraud" charge, citing sufficient evidence to suspect it had occurred.

Dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal's decision, the State Prosecution submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court, seeking to annul the ruling entirely and resume legal proceedings.

In April 2019, the Supreme Court found that procedural violations in the Court of Appeals' ruling favoured Emin Beqiri. Nevertheless, the appeal was unsuccessful because the disputed decisions remained legally binding. The Supreme Court clarified that when lower court decisions benefit the accused, the Supreme Court can identify legal violations within the rulings but cannot overturn them. As a result, Emin Beqiri and Rrahim Hashimi were not tried for the dismissed charges.

In June 2020, the Basic Court in Pristina referred Hashimi's ongoing visa fraud case to mediation at the request of the alleged victims.

The Sekseri case significantly damaged public trust in the rule of law in Kosovo. When senior law enforcement officials are accused of breaking the law, it severely undermines confidence in those institutions meant to uphold justice. This case also highlights the difficulty of holding powerful officials accountable, even when incriminating evidence and procedural violations are identified. Finally, the case highlights broader concerns about the quality of the Court of Appeals’ judgments in corruption cases, an issue that has been under scrutiny. The Court of Appeals' repeated failure to convict high-ranking officials has raised doubts about the effectiveness of Kosovo’s justice system in addressing corruption at the highest levels.