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DITARI POLITIK

VOA: Veliaj's arrest, Rama raises questions about the Special Prosecution Office

Politiko 2025-02-11 13:59:17

VOA: Veliaj's arrest, Rama raises questions about the Special Prosecution

In Albania, Prime Minister Edi Rama today raised questions about the Special Prosecution Office following yesterday's arrest of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, and the placing of his wife Ajola Xoxa under house arrest.

Both are suspected of corruption in 9 cases and money laundering, while Ms. Xoxa is also suspected of failing to declare assets. Mr. Rama spoke of intimidation of witnesses by investigators, while describing the investigation against the mayor as "strange".

In his conversation with commentators on social networks, Mr. Rama stated that the choice not to comment on the actions of justice institutions cannot continue, now that, according to him, after 5 years, these institutions have been consolidated.

"No regrets, no regrets for the silence these 5 years, but I believe most likely, in light of the latest development, our silence has been misunderstood by some consumers of the reform. So, these consumers, some consumers, should spare the state and society the pork soup on the justice menu," declared Mr. Rama.

The Prime Minister stated that "sharing critical opinions with the community from the justice system and at the same time with the public openly, transparently is the most useful thing we can do now in this new phase to prevent certain individuals from giving themselves the right to abuse the office of prosecutor or judge, violating the dividing lines between constitutional powers, in the name of our major goal of independence of justice from political power."

Regarding the case of Mr. Veliaj, the Prime Minister said that he was seriously concerned by "the intimidation of some of the people questioned. People of art and culture who found themselves completely innocently in situations worthy only of the literature of Franz Kafka," he declared, adding that he did not want to go into further details and not to rush.

"We will try to create a consolidated opinion on the indictment for which the judge has signed to remove the head from the shoulders of the Tirana municipality, leaving a capital city with 1001 jobs a day practically without direction, without a trial. Without a trial!".

According to him, "the presumption of innocence cannot be a line at the end where after you tear someone apart and take them from their job without trial and take them away and lock them up, and not from any job but from the direction of the capital, it says there "Presumed innocent". No. These things are a bit excessive, but nevertheless we will look at them with prudence and calmness".

Just like Mr. Veliaj himself, when, after leaving the Special Prosecution Office at the end of December, he learned that he had been denounced by an anonymous person, Mr. Rama also spoke of "a strange investigative process. To put it mildly, as I see it, very strange."

Starting from a novel of infinite pages. An anonymous novel submitted last February to SPAK that has spawned a novel of nearly 400 pages where the authors, vested with the power of justice, the prosecutor and the preliminary judge, together have reached the point of even sentencing the mother of a 6-year-old child to house arrest after the father has been taken into custody.

While it remains unclear what the government's position will be regarding the future of the Tirana Municipality, Prime Minister Rama was himself in its premises this morning. He was seen leaving accompanied by one of the deputy mayors, while there are no details about his visit./ VOA