The first trial session on the merits for Mayor Erion Veliaj and other defendants in the case who have requested a normal trial is expected to take place today at the Special Anti-Corruption Court (SAC).
The last hearing, held on June 10, was postponed due to the absence of some of the defendants' defense lawyers. Veliaj was also absent, and the reason is the closure of the glass cage. The mayor describes the cage as illegal, unconstitutional and discriminatory.
In the last session, the three judges told the prosecutor in the case, Ols Dado, to take thousands of other pages of documents to Veliaj's detention cell, who throughout this time has claimed that not all investigative acts have been made available to him.
Another request by Erion Veliaj that continues to be rejected by the court is the live broadcast of the session. Lawyer Plarent Ndreca told the media that he has addressed the Supreme Court of Justice with a request to declare invalid Article 14 of an instruction of the judiciary's own government, which according to him is being used by the courts to prevent transparency.