Veliaj turns to Strasbourg! Ndreca reveals the appeal deadline and expectations from the Supreme Court

The defense team for Erion Veliaj is preparing an application to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, while his lawyer, Plarent Ndreca, says it will be filed by the end of September.

In an interview with News24, Ndreca explained that the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime had provided no legal justification when it refused permission for British lawyers to meet with the detained mayor.

According to him, the only reason given by the prosecutors was the defense’s insistence on a specific date, which was deemed unacceptable.

“There was no legal basis for this decision. They simply said that our insistence on that date was not appropriate,” he said.

The lawyer stressed that unjustified obstacles were being placed in the way of his client’s exercise of his constitutional right to a defense. He confirmed that the legal team was finalizing the documentation and that the application to Strasbourg would be filed very soon, before the end of September.

Regarding the security measure, Ndreca expressed his conviction that the Supreme Court would order the lifting of Veliaj’s pretrial detention. He based this on the fact that the Constitutional Court itself had pointed out that the three levels of the judiciary had not examined the proportionality of this extreme measure against Veliaj.

“We expect the Supreme Court to overturn this measure. Mr. Veliaj should no longer be held under these conditions, as the Constitutional Court has also directed,” the defense lawyer declared.

Commenting on the possibility of replacing an elected local official with an appointed administrator, Ndreca was categorical that such an action would constitute a constitutional violation. He recalled that the residents of Tirana had not voted for an appointed person, but for a candidate they had elected themselves.

Regarding the dismissal of Ms. Ristani, the lawyer explained that the main reason was her failure to comply with the mayor’s direct orders. According to him, an unreasonable rift had developed, reaching its peak with the open refusal to carry out the duties assigned by the city’s elected official.

In conclusion, Ndreca warned that if the Supreme Court refused to lift the measure against Veliaj, the defense would continue to exhaust all available legal avenues. He linked such a negative decision to the lack of legality in the courts’ decision-making.