The State Intelligence Service has a new leader. President Bajram Begaj has signed the decree appointing Esmeralda Hasani as head of SHISH, a move made following a proposal by the Prime Minister and after the departure of Vlora Hyseni from the post.
The decree was signed following a proposal by the Prime Minister
According to the official announcement, the head of state decreed Hasani’s appointment in support of the constitutional provisions and the law on the State Intelligence Service.
The same official version states that, before the decree was signed, the legal verification procedures required for appointments to senior posts had been carried out. No further details about this process were made public beyond the institutional wording.
Who is Esmeralda Hasani
Esmeralda Hasani is presented as a lawyer with studies in Milan and Brussels. Her profile is mainly linked to government administration, academic institutions and the management of international projects.
According to the published information, she has led research institutions and held advisory roles within the government. These include the position of adviser and chief of cabinet to the Minister of State for the Diaspora, as well as an engagement as a consultant at the Prime Minister’s Office.
From support structures to leading SHISH
Before being appointed head of SHISH, Hasani held a role in the Support Department of the institution.
This detail indicates that the appointment does not come from outside the structure, but follows a transition from administration and internal functions to the top leadership post in the intelligence service.
A change at the top of a sensitive institution
Hasani replaces Vlora Hyseni in leading one of the state’s most closed and sensitive institutions.
Because of the nature of SHISH, such appointments are usually accompanied only by minimal public information. In this case as well, the official announcement was limited to the legal basis, the formal procedure and a summary of the career of the new name at the head of the service.
The decree is dated November 12, 2026, and was registered under number 595.
The new appointment places Esmeralda Hasani at the head of SHISH at a time when transparency over selection processes for such posts remains, as usual, limited to what institutions choose to make public.