International lawyers representing the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, have issued a harsh statement to the media after today's court session, describing the ongoing process as a flagrant violation of the right to a fair trial.
According to them, the hearing confirmed once again that the procedure exceeded any minimum legal standards. They point out that Veliaj was once again forced to defend himself, despite the fact that the court had appointed a lawyer for him, without his consent. The court-appointed lawyer herself publicly admitted that she had not had real time to familiarize herself with the voluminous file and that she had not been able to consult it with her client, requesting an adjournment of the hearing — a request that was arbitrarily rejected.
The lawyers also denounce the court's behavior, which, according to them, not only refused additional time for the defense, but also used derisive tones towards the particular lawyer, denigrating her professional activity.
Absurdly — the statement emphasizes — the court considered the defense "exhausted," while neither Veliaj nor the assigned lawyer had full access to the file, which contains about 61,000 pages.
During the hearing, Veliaj stated that he had come even though he was sick to defend himself, but raised the fundamental question: how can someone defend themselves when they are not given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the evidence? Even the request to be given the file in electronic format via a laptop was rejected.
The lawyers also harshly criticize the position of the prosecution, which has argued that Veliaj can find a lawyer in Albania after paying lawyers abroad for "lobbying." According to them, this claim is malicious and legally invalid, as the exercise of the defense cannot be hindered by such justifications.
They add that the prosecution has presented as "evidence" a media portal and the opinion of a journalist, without any legal document to prove any illegality, while the court has accepted this as the basis for keeping Veliaj in detention.
Due to this stance, which they consider to be openly biased, Veliaj has requested the exclusion of Judge Etleva Deda from the case.
In conclusion, the lawyers warn that this case risks going down in history as one of the most serious violations of due process in Albania, calling it "the extreme limit of the legal scandal" that the so-called "new justice" is producing.
