Hearing on the merits at the GJKKO, Veliaj's 5 requests are revealed

2026-06-16 11:42:07Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Scenes from the court session

In the court hearing against Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, lawyer Plarent Ndreca presented five preliminary requests, which according to him would put the process on "legal track".

The defense requested a live broadcast of the session, the presence of Veliaj next to his lawyer, outside the glass cage, as well as time to familiarize themselves with the evidence. Ndreca also said that SPAK has not yet responded to him about the way the charges against Nesti Angoni and Nasta Pëllumbi were administered.

Plarent Ndreca:  We have made 5 requests to put the process on the legal track, we insist. The first one is regarding judicial publicity, that you take out the cameras as soon as we start. There is no constitutional obstacle why the session should not be broadcast. The fact that an administrative employee comes into the courtroom and asks us when we agree and who does not agree to filming is a direct intervention in the courtroom. Not allowing the filming of this process is an attack on the constitutional right that the media have. I ask that cameras be allowed to film the process live.

We believe that Veliaj's presence outside the glass cage should be guaranteed. The absence or not being allowed near the lawyer violates the presumption of innocence, human dignity, affects the process and cannot continue without being present as the constitution provides. The Helsinki Committee considers it a violation of human dignity when there is no reason to assess the opposite. The glass cage has become the norm while it should be the exception. It does not pose any risk to the progress of the process. I ask that you guarantee that he is free to be with his lawyer, to conduct his defense as the constitution has guaranteed him.

Since we are not familiar with the evidence at this stage and you said it does not constitute an obstacle at this stage, give us time to familiarize ourselves with it.

We have not yet received a response from SPAK regarding the manner in which the reports of Nesti Angoni and Nasta Pëllumbi are being administered. We believe that this is related to this phase of the process.

Your leaving the session once a week is a very tight deadline that does not give us the opportunity to communicate with our clients. To have a real presence and effective protection.

These are our 5 demands, the acceptance of which I believe would put this legal process on track. We also have demands for the invalidation of acts.


Video