In the second court session against Ilir Meta, his ex-wife Monika Kryemadhi and three other defendants, the debates between the parties focused again on the security measure against the leader of the Freedom Party, who has been in detention since October 21, 2024.
During the hearing held this Sunday, defense attorney Kujtim Cakrani requested the relaxation of the security measure for Meta, claiming that the Special Prosecution Office has not presented concrete evidence that justifies the continuation of "prison arrest."
"Meta has been in custody for 19 months. The trial on the merits has not yet begun and it is not known when it will end. The GJKKO justified the measure with the fact that the defendant could damage evidence by intimidating witnesses. The risk of witness intimidation remains speculative. The prosecution says it will destroy evidence, but it does not say what evidence it is. The prosecution says it will intimidate witnesses, but it does not say which witnesses it will intimidate," Cakrani said during the session.
Further, the lawyer also filed a request for a change in the security measure: "We request that the former president have a more lenient measure."
He also supported the request in a recent Supreme Court precedent, regarding the mitigation of the measure against the former director of AKSHI, Mirlinda Karçanaj.
"She was also for 'criminal group' and the Supreme Court released her from 'house arrest'," the lawyer stated.
Ilir Meta was absent from this session, and according to the defense, the reason is related to the lack of trust in the court.
"My client does not trust the court, which is why he did not come here today. Why should the detention continue? All the conditions have changed. The court should reflect," concluded Cakrani.
On the other hand, prosecutor Sotir Kllapi opposed the defense's request, stating that no new circumstances have been presented to justify changing the security measure.
"The defense did not present any evidence of what has changed, but only general arguments. The defense referred to the unifying decision of May 4. If there is no circumstance that has mitigated the security needs, or reasonable suspicion, we think that there is no changed circumstance," said Kllapi.
According to him, the criminal activity for which Meta is accused extends from 2009 to 2017, considering it to be socially dangerous.
"The criminal activity for which the defendant Ilir Meta is accused extends from 2009 to 2017 and he has only been charged once for the act of 'false declaration'. A long period of time. We think that the social danger is evident," the prosecutor stated.
He also added that the unifying decision mentioned by the defense does not bring new elements to the process.
"In these circumstances, the unifying decision does not bring anything new to this process. There is no mitigation of security needs. On 8.06.2026, the Constitutional Court reviewed the proportionality of the measure and considered it proportional. The defendant's request for replacement of the measure is unfounded in law and evidence. We request its dismissal," concluded Kllapi.
The Special Court accepted the prosecutor's request, leaving former President Ilir Meta in prison, thus rejecting his next request for a replacement measure.
