FLASH
Shkruar nga Mero Baze
Tirana cannot remain without a mayor for another two years, due to the whims of two prosecutors who are not motivated so much by justice as by interests outside of it.
The Constitutional Court has put justice back on track after the reinstatement of Mayor Erion Veliaj. More than a victory for him, the decision is a signal that justice cannot be used for clan wars, political interests, and, even worse, for personal grudges of prosecutors.
The Constitutional Court's decision, declaring the dismissal of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj illegal, has in a way also declared his preliminary arrest illegal, which, combined with the political backstage, truly resembles a kidnapping from the workplace and not an action in the interest of justice.
The trial against Erion Veliaj to try the charges brought by SPAK must continue, while he must continue his work as mayor.
Under the current circumstances, Tirana cannot remain without a mayor for another two years, due to the whims of two prosecutors who are not motivated so much by justice as by interests outside of it, thereby restoring justice to normalcy.
Many of the invented reasons why he was "kidnapped" from office nine months ago, before any charges were filed, have now completely fallen apart.
The court has collected evidence that proves that he had neither the Socialist Party, nor the government, nor any other institution on his side in this battle that could destroy evidence against him or intimidate witnesses.
This period of detention, completely illegal, proved the opposite: that everyone, including prosecutors, judges, politicians, and statesmen, agreed that he should be removed from office and replaced.
Now that the Constitutional Court has spoken, and that we all have evidence that he was alone and handcuffed in front of everyone, he must return to office and continue his battle with justice.
No one has the right to pressure the justice system to try Erion Veliaj on the merits. The charges against him must be proven in court and, if convicted, he must go and serve his sentence. But those who have blackmailed witnesses, who have threatened to "throw keys into the sea", or who have behaved like Aranit Çela in the SPAK offices, must one day face the law.
The Constitutional Court has conducted an exemplary, transparent process, with an unusual legal battle and open debate, restoring faith in justice and honoring its fundamental constitutional mission, which is the fundamental freedoms and rights of citizens.
Now Erion Veliaj has a battle with justice, but the mayor of Tirana must continue this battle from his office, where the citizens have elected him.
Every insistence on keeping him in prison shows that the entire process has been a conspiracy against him and a shame for the new Albanian justice system.
Today is a good day for justice in Albania and a light at the end of the tunnel that citizens are not in the hands of the wrath of prosecutors or political calculations, but in the hands of the law.
Lini një Përgjigje