The Special Court rejected the request of the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, that the court session against him and 29 other defendants be broadcast live by the media. But during the session, attention was focused especially on the position of the special prosecutor Altin Dumani, who harshly criticized the defense's requests.
According to Dumani, the lawyers' repeated requests have meant that even though two months have passed since the start of the substantive review, the process still remains in the preliminary phase.
"These are artificial requests, which in our assessment only aim to postpone the trial," Dumani said in the courtroom.
The SPAK prosecutor also argued against the request for live streaming of the hearing, stressing that such a practice could disrupt the normal course of the criminal process, especially in cases involving witnesses or collaborators of justice. According to him, in special cases only limited footage may be allowed, but not a full broadcast of the hearing.
Meanwhile, the panel of judges Engjëllushe Tahiri, Rudina Palloj and Alma Kodraliu also rejected another defense request that Veliaj not stand in the glass structure in the courtroom.
At the end of the session, the court decided to divide the case: 11 of the defendants, including businessman Elman Abule and former socialist MP Klotilda Bushka, will be tried in a summary procedure, while Erion Veliaj, his wife and 17 other defendants will face a normal trial before a different panel of judges.
The next hearing for the defendants who have requested a summary trial is scheduled for May 20.
