The court hearing against Ilir Meta at the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SCOC) was accompanied by strong accusations from the former president against SPAK, whom he accused of manipulating evidence and taking deliberate actions against him.
In the court session at the GJKKO, Ilir Meta stated that the prosecution "recidivistically deceives" regarding the case and reiterated that the defense has requested the calling of several witnesses, including Prime Minister Edi Rama.
"I was kidnapped on October 21, 2024, based on a forged letter of invitation. This issue has been raised since 2018 and is related to developments that followed the US elections," Meta said.
He also mentioned former FBI official Charles McGonigal, claiming that he is involved in the investigations against him and that this, according to Meta, has been confirmed by American courts. According to him, before coming to Albania, McGonigal had held meetings in Vienna, where.
Meta also stated that after these developments, Rome Kara came on the scene and filed a complaint against him, while emphasizing that he has provided explanations on this issue and that he stands by his statements.
The former president also objected to the way evidence related to the cell phones seized during the search of his apartment was handled. He said that one of the phones was identified by him as his personal phone, while according to him, it was mistakenly treated as Fatime Kryemadhi's phone.
“These are deliberate actions against Ilir Meta,” he declared.
Meta also addressed the issue related to Adrian Shatku, denying that he had any knowledge of his actions.
"If I had known what Adrian Shatku wanted to do, I would have reacted. I would have asked Minister Haxhinasto to undertake a normative act or I would have initiated legal changes in the Assembly. I had no personal interest," he said.
In conclusion, Meta stated that he has always been against monopolies and that the issue is being used to fuel, according to him, "propaganda and lies," while expressing confidence that the legal process will uncover the truth.
At the end of the session, the panel decided to adjourn the case and postpone it to September 10, at 11:00, when the next session will take place.
