FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Today, the first hearing on the merits of the case against the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, is taking place at the Special Court.
SPAK prosecutor Ols Dado was present at the session, while Mayor Veliaj was not present.
Veliaj's defense read a statement from the mayor of Tirana from the Durrës detention center, where he states: "I do not want to appear at the hearing."
The judicial panel that is examining the case on the merits consists of Engjëllushe Tahiri, Alma Kodraliu and Rudina Palloj.
Erion Veliaj was arrested on February 10, accused of having, together with his wife Ajola Xoxa, built a complex corruption and money laundering scheme to illegally benefit from municipality funds and bribes from its businessmen contractors, using a network of companies and non-profit organizations.
SPAK has listed 13 charges against Veliaj, such as passive corruption, money laundering, failure to declare assets, abuse of office, and bringing items into prison.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the mayor of the capital and his wife have benefited from this corrupt scheme of about 1 million euros, money that was mainly used for luxury purchases on the Internet by Ajola Xoxa. Veliaj has long requested to be released from prison, a request that has been rejected by all three levels of the judiciary. He has also addressed the Constitutional Court to change the security measure, while the court has accepted the consideration of the request in the session.
We recall that on November 3 of last year, the Constitutional Court overturned the decision of the Council of Ministers to dismiss Erion Veliaj from the position of Mayor of Tirana, finding it incompatible with the Constitution.
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