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"Babale" Commission Report/ How TIMS data served criminal groups, appointments without criteria

2024-07-23 19:25:00, Aktualitet CNA

"Babale" Commission

This afternoon, the last meeting of the Babale commission was held, where the report of the group of experts regarding the leakage of data from the TIMS system was presented.

According to the report, it appears that Ervin Muça did not fulfill the conditions to be appointed as Director of the IT Department.

Also, from the findings of the report, it is said that employees of the State Police have used the accesses to make data available to exponents of crime regarding the entrances and exits to the territory of Albania.

They also informed them about the orders of arrest, detention, search, prohibitive measures from foreign countries, criminal court decisions from Albanian or foreign authorities, the vehicles with which certain citizens move, etc.

The report emphasizes that data and information have served criminal groups to eliminate their opponents or to learn more about their cases.

TIMS data has served criminal groups, to limit movements abroad or even to escape.

"From the administered documentation and the testimonies received by the Investigative Commission, it has emerged that interventions have been carried out in the TIMS system, which enable certain persons not to register their entry and exit from the territory of the Republic of Albania, as well as if they are registered , the search in the TIMS database is not complete by avoiding criminal databases, which enables Albanian citizens or foreigners who may be wanted nationally or internationally, or convicted of crimes, to enter and they leave the territory freely without any alert from the system.

This deviation, as stated by the Director of the IT Department, Mr. Ervin Muça, mainly serves individuals with criminal records and can also explain the fact that people wanted by the Albanian justice bodies have managed to leave or enter the the territory of our country without being discovered by law enforcement institutions. This issue also deserves special attention and immediate addressing as it poses a serious risk to order and security, as well as severely damages the work of the justice bodies, whether they are Albanian or foreign", the report emphasizes.

Excerpts from the report

Specifically, this citizen was criminally prosecuted for falsifying documents in the Italian state in 2007, was refused a residence permit in 2008, did not complete the decriminalization form, did not complete the mandatory training at the Security Academy, was not provided with the Certificate of Personnel Security and was simultaneously employed as an advisor to the director of the State Cadastre Agency, although the investigations carried out by the Prosecutor's Office have not found any concrete work product.

Also in the report of the Investigative Commission, it is said that based on the administered documentation and the testimonies received, it results that the recruitment procedures of the former director Besjon Tanuzi and the current director Enri Ndoni were fictitious and with a predetermined result.

This is evident from the fact that they applied the documents to be appointed to these positions before the vacancy was created, there was no announcement for the vacant position in these positions and they were the only candidacies that were presented to the General Director of Police for approval of the State. On the other hand, it turns out that Mr. Tanuzi had no previous experience in the State Police or the IT systems of the latter and was not equipped with a security certificate, while it seems that the friendly relationship with the citizen Ervin Muça was decisive for his appointment .

From the administered documentation and the testimonies received by the Investigative Commission, it appears that the procedure followed for the appointment of the Director of Cybercrime Investigation Ervina Gjana was fictitious and with a predetermined result. This is clear from the fact that Mrs. Gjana submitted the documentation before the announcement of the vacancy, she was the only candidate, the applications were only opened for two days and the appointment was made before the training at the Security Academy, in violation of the legal provisions of Law no. 108/2014 "On the State Police". Also, it turns out that Ms. Gjana had no previous experience in the investigation of cybercrimes, her security certificate was not in line with the new task and in 2014, which coincides with the departure from the position of the Server Sector specialist in the Director of Technology of Information, the procedural materials were referred to as suspected of committing the criminal offense of "Theft", provided for by Article 134 of the Criminal Code.

From the administered documentation and the testimonies received by the Investigative Commission, it has emerged that the first notification of an illegal intervention in the TIMS system came via an email at 14:51 on 02.08.2023 from the head of the Server Sector, Ardit Muço, who was forwarded to the main leaders of the State Police.

Then the second notification came via an email at 22:54 on 02.08.2023, where, in addition to the leaders of the State Police, the media and the main leaders of the state, including the Minister of the Interior and the director of the Surveillance Agency, were informed. Police. Despite the notifications received by the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Taulant Balla, the General Director of the State Police, Mr. Muhamet Rrumbullaku, the Director of the Police Supervision Agency on 02.08.2023, the date on which the intervention in the TIMS system also began, the reaction institutional arrived only the next day on 03.08.2023. The statements of Mr. Balla, Mr. Rrumbullaku and Mr. Veliu in terms of receiving information and communications with each other are contradictory and do not match each other. If the reaction had been on time, the intervention that started at 18:00 on 08/02/2023 and extended until 02:00 on 08/03/2023 could have been prevented.

Also, referring to the report, from the administered documentation and the testimonies received by the Investigative Commission, it was found that the citizen Ervin Muça, with the position of Director of the IT Department in the State Police, together with the Director of the Systems Directorate, Besjon Tanuzaj, and other employees of the IT Department have committed a series of legal violations, putting the security of the TIMS data system at risk. Specifically, these citizens in cooperation with each other have allowed unauthorized access to the premises of special importance of the State Police, they have not received permission or prior authorization from the General Director of the State Police to carry out the back-up process it, partially transferred TIMS system data to external devices, entered the building using the code of an employee who was on annual leave, operated late at night and outside official hours, ordered subordinates to performing duties in violation of the law, as well as not drafting the acts according to Order No. 3410, dated 28.04.2023 of the General Director of the State Police.

Despite the flagrant violations of the law, these employees were suspended only for a 5-day period and then they were allowed to continue working normally, without starting the dismissal procedure, in the conditions where both the General Directorate of the State Police and The Police Oversight Agency had ascertained the performance of actions or omissions contrary to the law, and endangering the safety of a critical infrastructure for the State Police.

From the administered documentation and the testimonies received by the Investigative Commission, it emerged that on October 14, 2021, there was a cyber attack on the IT systems of the State Police, including the TIMS system.

This attack was not reported, no in-depth verifications or investigations were carried out, and no measures were taken to clean the systems of possible viruses or strengthen security measures for risks that could threaten the system from cyber attacks. Also, it turned out that on September 9, 2022, there was a second attack on the IT systems of the State Police, including the TIMS system, which, according to the evidence, was a direct consequence of not taking measures in the case of the October 2021 cyber attack.

As a result of these two attacks, the leaders of the IT Department of the State Police have stated that the data of the TIMS system until September 2022 is available in online channels, and can be purchased by anyone who may be interested. . Regarding these claims, which are also supported by official documentation, it does not appear that there have been in-depth administrative or criminal investigations by law enforcement institutions. Failure to conduct these investigations and take the necessary measures increases the risk of repeat cyber attacks with devastating consequences for the State Police's critical systems in the future.

From the administered documentation and the testimonies received by the Investigative Commission, it has emerged that certain persons had unauthorized access to the TIMS system. Although the law and by-laws provide in detail how a person is granted access to the TIMS system, it remains unclear how private persons, i.e. not exercising a state duty related to accessing and using the TIMS system, are granted access in this database of particular importance.

Not only the way, but also the people who granted this access, the goals and motives of these private persons who had access to the TIMS system remain unclear and raise serious suspicions of illegality. The TIMS system contains a variety of data, as we have explained above, and free access by unauthorized persons poses a serious risk to order and security in our country.

This situation, of which both the Minister and the top leaders of the State Police seem to have been aware, should have prompted the latter to take urgent measures to conduct an in-depth investigation of unauthorized access to the system TIMS and taking measures so that such situations do not recur in the future

From the public data and facts known worldwide, according to the report, which were brought by the members of the Investigative Commission, it results that State Police employees, who have the duty to store and administer the data of the TIMS system, have used the right of access to make the data of this system available to the elements of organized crime, who have a special interest in knowing the entry and exit of citizens from the territory of Albania, the orders of arrest, detention, search , prohibitive measures from foreign countries, criminal court decisions from Albanian or foreign authorities, vehicles used by certain citizens, etc.

For obtaining this information, these citizens are ready to offer significant monetary sums, in order to learn in real time information contained in the TIMS system about themselves or their opponents. TIMS system data have served criminal groups to eliminate their opponents, to limit movements abroad or even to escape in cases where national or international arrest warrants have been issued against them.

From the administered documentation and the testimonies received by the Investigative Commission, it has emerged that interventions have been carried out in the TIMS system, which enable certain persons not to register their entry and exit from the territory of the Republic of Albania, as well as if they are registered, the search in the TIMS database is not complete by avoiding criminal databases, which allows Albanian citizens or foreigners who may be wanted nationally or internationally, or convicted of crimes, to enter and exit freely from the territory without any alert from the system. This deviation, as stated by the Director of the IT Department, Mr. Ervin Muça, mainly serves individuals with criminal records and can also explain the fact that people wanted by the Albanian justice bodies have managed to leave or enter the the territory of our country without being discovered by law enforcement institutions. This issue also deserves special attention and immediate addressing as it poses a serious risk to order and security, as well as seriously harms the work of justice bodies, whether Albanian or foreign./ CNA