The Special Court decided to accept SPAK's request for the extension of the security measure "prison arrest" for Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj. The decision against the mayor, accused of "corruption" and "money laundering", was taken by Judge Erion Bani, at the end of a two-month SPAK information session, a process where prosecutors informed the court about the progress of the investigation during this period.
Sources from the closed-door session, where Mayor Veliaj himself was not present, reported that SPAK prosecutors presented 114 written documents, including statements from persons with knowledge, as well as communications with other institutions, writes A2 CNN.
Among the reported investigative actions was the examination of the telephone of a prison police officer, a device suspected of being used by Veliaj for phone calls during his transport from the Durrës detention center to the Court of Appeals, for the hearing of the appeal of the security measure. After objections to the prosecution's acts, Veliaj's lawyers asked the court to reduce the security measure of "prison arrest" for the mayor, a request that was not taken into consideration by Judge Bani.
In the same decision, the judge decided to leave unchanged the measure of “house arrest” for businessman Elman Abule, who is under investigation for the same case. Erion Veliaj has been in prison since February 10, following a measure of “prison arrest” imposed in absentia against him, a measure that he failed to overturn in the first two instances of the trial. In the decision of March 13, the Special Appeal assessed that Mayor Veliaj poses a significant social danger and that, if not kept in custody, he risks damaging evidence and hiding from the investigation.
According to SPAK, he is suspected of having, in collaboration with his wife Ajola Xoxe – who is being investigated under the measure of "obligation to appear" – set up a corrupt scheme with the aim of embezzling public funds. Five other businessmen are also being investigated under the measure of "obligation to appear" for the same matter. (A2 Televizion)
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