The Prisons Directorate has reacted to Mayor Erion Veliaj 's claims that the culprit for his failure to appear at the preliminary hearing of the Criminal Court of Appeals was the delay of the accompanying Prison Police escort from Durres detention center to Tirana.
The Prisons Directorate says that police vehicles were at the detention facility on time, but Veliaj refused to leave, claiming that they were late.
Police announcement:
Regarding the reaction made in the media by the Tirana Municipal Council, the General Directorate of Prisons clarifies that the claims regarding the transfer schedule of citizen Erion Veliaj from the Durrës Penitentiary Institution to the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime are untrue.
The Prison Police forces, under the General Directorate of Prisons, have notified citizen EV in a timely manner of the preparation and departure for the court session.
Prison Police vehicles were present at the Penitentiary Institution premises at the scheduled time.
At the time of notification, citizen EV refused to come out, claiming that the Prison Police vehicle was delayed.
The General Directorate of Prisons emphasizes that for any delay or change in schedule, the court chancellery is officially notified and that there has been no obstacle on our part to the normal development of the judicial process.