Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj managed to convince the Special Court to postpone the decision to start the trial against him. It is learned that before the trial panel, Veliaj requested to be acquainted with the acts of the file first, a right he claims has been denied until now.
During the hearing, Veliaj presented requests that he considers elementary to guarantee a fair trial. According to a statement distributed to the media by his lawyers, Veliaj requested the immediate lifting of the measure of placement in the cage, based on the standards of the ECHR and the jurisprudence of the ECtHR, which consider this practice to be degrading, prejudicial treatment and incompatible with Articles 3 and 6 of the Convention.
“I am here called by you, to defend myself, not to humiliate myself. I want to say it clearly, justice is not built on cages, it is not built on criminalizing perceptions, and it is not built by violating the fundamental right to defense,” the statement said.
It is also reported that Veliaj requested the delivery of the investigative file, which contains over 60 thousand pages, in a readable and accessible form, in order to familiarize himself with the charges and have the necessary time to prepare his defense.
“I am here as a citizen of a democratic and free country demanding his rights, but also as the Mayor of Tirana, aware that this process affects not only my freedom, but also the most fundamental principles on which justice in this country is built,” the statement continues, according to which Veliaj has requested the postponement of the procedure until his rights to effective protection are fully guaranteed.
“No fair process can proceed without respecting these three minimum conditions,” Veliaj claimed.
It seems that these arguments have convinced the judicial body to postpone the decision for the preliminary hearing at the GJKKO on December 5, 2025.
The mayor of Tirana has been in custody since February 2025 and is accused of a series of criminal offenses, including money laundering, failure to declare assets, passive corruption in 9 episodes, abuse of office, and bringing prohibited items into the cell.
In this extensive file, which Veliaj claims he has not had the opportunity to read and understand, his wife, Ajola Xoxa, is also named as a defendant, against whom SPAK is charging corruption, money laundering and concealment of assets, as well as former socialist MP Klotilda Bushka, for actions that hinder the uncovering of the truth.
On September 23, 2025, with the unanimous votes of socialist and democratic councilors, Erion Veliaj was dismissed from the position of Mayor of Tirana, a position he had held for 10 years.
After the dismissal, President Bajram Begaj decreed early elections in Tirana, but on November 3, the Constitutional Court ruled that the dismissal of the Mayor of Tirana was unconstitutional and politically motivated.
On November 27, 2025, Veliaj again addressed the Constitutional Court, requesting the annulment of the decisions of the GJKKO, the Special Appeal and the Supreme Court regarding the measure of “prison arrest”.
Vjolanda Peca është diplomuar në Gazetari dhe Komunikim në Universitetin e Tiranës. Ka përvojë në gazetari investiguese dhe prodhim multimedial, duke punuar në Emisionin “Vetting” në News24 dhe në Faktoje.al, ku ka zhvilluar aftësi në hulumtim, verifikim faktesh, intervista në terren dhe prodhim përmbajtjesh për publikim online. Fokusi i saj është krijimi i përmbajtjeve informative që angazhojnë audiencën dhe ofrojnë informacion të thelluar.
