Erion Veliaj's lawyer, Plarent Ndreca, has stated that it was the GJKKO that rejected the British lawyers' request to meet with the mayor of Tirana, who is behind bars.
In an interview for the show "Minuta e Parë" on News24 with journalist Ola Bruko, Ndreca said that there was no legal argument for the refusal, while according to him, the reason given was the lawyers' insistence on a certain date.
"The GJKKO rejected it. There was no argument. The argument was why this date, and according to the prosecutors, the lawyers' insistence on a specific date was inappropriate. There was no legal reason," he said.
Ndreca stated that the defense will address the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, claiming that obstacles have been created against his client in the exercise of the right to defense. "We will take our complaint to the Strasbourg Court. We will proceed with the filing in Strasbourg within the deadline. The artificial obstacles incomprehensible by SPAK, deny my client the right to defense according to the law. The complaint in Strasbourg will be made very soon. The elements of the request are being evaluated, but it will be filed within September," added Ndreca.
Regarding the security measure against Veliaj, Ndreca said that the defense expects the Supreme Court to revoke the detention measure.
"We expect the Supreme Court to repeal the extreme measure imposed on Mr. Veliaj. He should not be under the extreme measure of pre-trial detention. The Constitutional Court also says this. After all, the three levels of the judiciary have not considered the imposition of the measure in proportionality," said the lawyer.
Speaking about the possibility of replacing the elected mayor with an appointed person, the lawyer stated that such a change would require intervention in the Constitution.
"If the commander is going to decide the elected, we need to change the Constitution. Citizens did not vote for the commander, but for the elected," he asserted.
Asked about the dismissal of Ms. Ristani, Ndreca said that the reasons are related to the failure to respect the obligations and orders of the Mayor. "I believe it is clear from the order signed by Mr. Veliaj. The obligations, the will of the elected official, have not been fulfilled. An unjustified distance has been created. It culminated in the refusal of the orders of the Mayor himself," said Ndreca.
Regarding the steps the defense will take if Veliaj's request is rejected, Ndreca said that all legal avenues will be pursued. "We will pursue legal steps. If the Supreme Court does not make a decision to repeal the extreme measure against Veliaj, this shows that the courts do not make legal decisions," he concluded.
