The name of Daniel Shima, former deputy director of the National Agency for the Information Society, has taken on another dimension after recent developments. For years, he was the number two of the National Agency for the Information Society, directly behind Mirlinda Karçanaj, in an agency that manages technology and information systems in all state institutions. His dismissal occurred in March 2024, exactly the day when Karçanaj was questioned for several hours by the Special Prosecutor's Office regarding tenders worth 43 billion lek. This case was read as a strong signal that Shima was aware of the tender processes and the way the funds were administered.
A year ago, he was placed under the protection of the Republican Guard, a measure that is only taken when security institutions assess a real risk to the life of an official. However, a clear explanation has never been publicly given as to why Daniel Shima needed protection and who posed a threat to him.
His name also came to the fore in the denunciation made months ago by former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, who is on the run, who stated that Shima had been threatened to keep quiet. But if until yesterday Ahmetaj's statements were mainly used as political references, today the situation has taken a much more serious turn: Daniel Shima's family has reported his disappearance to the police.
This makes the case even more murky. A former senior official of a strategic agency, who held access to all the state's information systems, dismissed under suspicious circumstances, placed under Garda protection and then rumored to be under threat, is now missing. What did Daniel Shima know? Was he fully aware of the much-discussed AKSHI tenders? Was he targeted for what he could testify?
The denunciation of his loss announced by the family is not simply a personal event, but an issue with direct public and institutional consequences.
