The Mayor of Tirana is knocking on the Constitutional Court again. Through a new request filed this Friday with the Constitutional Court, he requests the annulment of decision no. 29, dated 09.02.2026, of the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime, as well as the invalidity of all actions carried out on the basis of this decision.
"This process has been conducted in serious violation of fundamental rights. Mr. Veliaj and his defense have been denied real time to analyze a file with tens of thousands of pages, reducing the defense to a formality; The principle of equality of arms has been violated, as the prosecution has acted with full procedural advantage; The trial has been conducted in conditions that violate the independence and impartiality of the court; Mr. Veliaj has been treated in a manner that violates the presumption of innocence and human dignity, including being held in isolation during hearings where he should defend himself freely," the request states.
According to his lawyer, Plarent Ndreca, the decision to send the case to court was made on the basis of a fundamentally compromised process, producing an unconstitutional and, consequently, invalid process, which cannot produce valid legal consequences. Under these conditions, Veliaj has requested the Constitutional Court to annul the decision of the preliminary hearing that decided to transfer the file to trial, as well as any action taken on this basis.
Erion Veliaj is indicted by SPAK on 13 criminal charges, such as corruption, money laundering, and concealment of assets.
