Albania’s Constitutional Court has decided not to admit for review an appeal filed by the arrested Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, effectively allowing the criminal proceedings against him and 29 other defendants to continue.
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The appeal challenged a decision by Special Court Judge Etleva Deda, who on 9 February ordered that the case proceed to a full trial on the merits. Veliaj had also requested the annulment of hearings held after that date, but the Constitutional Court declined to consider the complaint.
The case against Veliaj involves a wide range of serious criminal allegations, including passive corruption, money laundering, failure to declare assets, abuse of office, and introducing prohibited items into a detention facility.
According to the judicial file, the prosecution’s case spans thousands of pages of evidence and documented materials collected during the investigation.
The proceedings against Veliaj and his co-defendants are ongoing in court, while the former mayor remains in pre-trial detention at Durrës Prison, where he has been held since February last year.
The case is considered one of the most significant corruption trials currently underway in Albania, drawing strong public and political attention as it moves through the judicial system.