Tomorrow Veliaj before the Appeal for the security measure/Request for release in exchange for property

2025-06-08 17:05:00, Aktualitet CNA

Tomorrow Veliaj before the Appeal for the security measure/Request for release

On Monday at 2:00 PM, a court hearing will take place at the Court of Appeal for the arrested mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj.

Tomorrow's hearing will be held after there is an appeal against the decision of the Court of First Instance to extend the security measure.

Subject of the request: "Appeal against decision no. 219 act, dated 23.04.2025, of the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime, with the subject: 2-month information on the implementation of the security measure "arrest in prison", for the person under investigation Erion Veliaj regarding the preliminary investigations for criminal proceedings No. 27, of 2024, of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime".

Veliaj faces 12 charges for 4 criminal offenses:

-Passive corruption of high-ranking state officials or local elected officials;

-Active corruption of high-ranking state officials or local elected officials;

-Laundering the proceeds of crime or criminal activity;

- Refusal to declare, failure to declare, concealment or false declaration of assets, private interests of elected persons and public servants, or of any other person who has a legal obligation to declare.

The judge in the case is expected to be Engert Pëllumbi again, the same judge who kept Erion Veliaj in custody, after appealing the court's decision on the security measure.

Meanwhile, through his lawyers, Veliaj has requested a more lenient security measure, in exchange for providing a financial guarantee.

At a time when SPAK has informed Veliaj that he has committed the criminal offense of corruption 9 times, Veliaj is offering money for his release from prison.

Whose money will Erion Veliaj use to pay the bail, when the Special Prosecution Office is investigating precisely this money?

Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj was arrested on February 10. Charges were also filed against other people involved in the investigation: Veliaj's wife, Ajola Xoxa, and businessmen: Gentian Sula, Meriman Palushi, Fatmir Bektashi, Sokol Kryeziu, and Shkelqim Fusha. /CNA