The High Court is expected to review today the appeal made by Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, who has requested the change of the security measure 'prison arrest', and its replacement with another, lighter security measure.
In addition to this recourse, the Constitutional Court has returned another request for Veliaj's freedom to the High Court.
According to the Constitutional Court, the High Court, in the decision it will have to reconsider for the first citizen of Tirana, will have to justify whether the "prison arrest" measure is proportional in relation to Veliaj's position as mayor.
The Supreme Court will have to justify why the right to be elected and to exercise the office of mayor does not prevail, in the face of extreme security measures?
With the Veliaj case back in their hands, the black squads must justify why arrest with prison is necessary. And according to the unifying decision of the Supreme Court itself, taken on May 4th on the practice of arrest, the three judges must expressly justify why alternative security measures that are less restrictive of personal freedom are not sufficient, in the specific case against the mayor.
The mayor of Tirana has been in prison custody since February 10, 2025, while SPAK sent the request to transfer the file to trial only 5 months ago. SPAK has listed 13 charges against Veliaj, such as passive corruption, money laundering, failure to declare assets, abuse of office and bringing items into prison.