SPAK bars Veliaj from attending the Municipal Council meeting

SPAK has rejected the request from the Tirana Municipal Council for Erion Veliaj to attend today’s meeting, which is scheduled to be held at 3 p.m.

The council requested that the mayor attend in person or, if that was not possible, join by videoconference. The request was forwarded to SPAK and the General Directorate of Prisons.

According to the information, the refusal is based on Law No. 81/2020, “On the rights and treatment of convicted prisoners and pretrial detainees.” This legislation defines the rights of people in pretrial detention, how they are to be treated and the responsibilities of the relevant institutions.

The Municipal Council had deemed Veliaj’s presence necessary for discussions on matters concerning the administration of the Municipality of Tirana. Today’s meeting agenda also includes consideration of the draft law on the administrative-territorial division of local government units.

In its request to the institutions, the council referred to Constitutional Court Decision No. 66, dated November 3, 2025. According to its argument, the mayor’s participation in council meetings is connected to the performance of his institutional duties.

Veliaj is in pretrial detention and the measure of detention in prison remains in force against him. On September 15, after the case was reconsidered in implementation of a previous Constitutional Court ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the security measure.