A hearing against Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj was held today at the Special Court.
Journalist Klodiana Lala reports that Veliaj was not present at the hearing.
In a statement, he announced that he had been informed about the hearing but that he did not wish to participate.
"I am aware of the hearing. I do not wish to participate, as the 24 files and digital evidence have not been made available to me," the statement said.
According to Veliaj, the court did not implement the legal provision that gives him the right to participate as a free person in the courtroom.
During the hearing, Veliaj's lawyer argued that his client had not yet been made available to all the acts ordered by the court and that the documentation had only been submitted at around 15:30 PM by the court secretariat.
"To be honest, at 3:30 we were notified by the court secretariat that the documents had been submitted. Mr. Veliaj should have the necessary time to familiarize himself with them and to exercise an effective defense," the lawyer said.
On the other hand, the prosecutor opposed the request for postponement, emphasizing that the procedural acts in question pertain to other defendants and specific episodes of the case.
"These are specific episodes related to other people. I see no reason to postpone the hearing," Dado declared.
After reviewing the parties' claims, the court decided to continue the hearing, reasoning that the provision of the requested documents, due to their nature, does not constitute a reason for the interruption or postponement of the judicial process.
