The Special Court today ruled in favor of the guilty plea of lawyer Erida Lazimi, accused of illegally influencing a judge of the Tirana Court to favor the defendants in the file known as "Toyota Auris".
The GJKKO sentenced Lazim to 1 year in prison, which upon application of the summary trial was reduced to 8 months of imprisonment.
Also, the execution of the prison sentence was suspended and Lazimi was placed on probation for a period of 16 months.
The case against Lazim was divided into an investigative file that has as its object the actions of a considerable number of officials and former officials of the justice system, for exercising influence, passive corruption of judges, prosecutors and other justice officials, drug trafficking and money laundering, the continuation of the initial criminal proceedings against the former head of the Vlora Prosecution Office, Aurel Zarka, former Judicial Police officer, Eriona Daupaj, lawyer Radovan Çela and businessman Astrit Vladi, accused of illegal influence and corruption in the "Toyota Auris" case.
According to SPAK, defendant Astrit Vladi asked lawyer Erida Lazimi to exert illegal influence on the judge of the preliminary hearing, in order to favor the defendants in the "Toyota Auris" case.
On September 14, 2020, a preliminary hearing was held to adjudicate the request to send to trial the defendants Alfred Vladi, Elvis Vladi and Alban Mollaymeri, accused of the criminal offense of "Failure to declare cash and valuables at the border", after approximately 3.4 million euros were found in two "Toyota Auris" vehicles that were transporting them.
The "Toyota Auris" case gained public attention in Albania after Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha denounced the arrival of the money in 2018, a few days before it was seized in Durrës.
Basha warned of money trafficking in Toyota Auris cars and accused the leader of the socialist group, Taulant Balla, of having acted as guarantor for what he called “drug money.” Balla denied the accusations and won a defamation lawsuit against Basha in court.