Veliaj's lawyer, Maks Haxhia: He does not meet any of the conditions and criteria to keep him in prison. We await the Supreme Court
2025-03-13 13:02:21
TiranaPost
The appeal of the Special Court has left in force the security measure "Arrest in prison" against the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj.
In a statement to the media after the court hearing, Veliaj's lawyer, Maks Haxhia, said that the defense opposed the security measure against the mayor, as the criminal offenses he is accused of are of an administrative nature and can be investigated while free.
"We have opposed the measure because the dangerousness is related to aggressiveness and the possibility of committing other criminal offenses. And dangerous offenses and criminal offenses are those that harm the life and health of the individual, while offenses that are more administrative in nature and are based on accounting experts to reflect effective damage through acts are not so dangerous. We expect some miracle to happen in the High Court. And of course we expect to accept the request for the replacement of the security measure for Erion Veliaj, since none of the conditions and criteria for keeping such a person in prison apply," said Haxhia.
As for the American lawyer that Veliaj contracted to participate as an observer in the trial, Haxhia said that Albanian law does not allow him to be part of the defense.
"Albanian law does not allow him to be a lawyer in the case, I guarantee you that the level of Albanian lawyers is beyond high and is in the ranks of colleagues in the European Union and across the Ocean. I can say that they are even higher than prosecutors and judges," said Haxhia.
"The new evidence had no impact at all, it's the same material that was in the First Instance Court," said the lawyer.
