SPAK says “No” to the Municipal Council — Veliaj not allowed in or online at today’s session

The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK) has rejected the request of the Tirana Municipal Council to enable the presence of Mayor Erion Veliaj at today’s session, scheduled for 3:00 PM.

The Municipal Council had asked that Veliaj be allowed to take part in the session physically or, if that was not possible, to join via videoconference. The request had been sent to SPAK and the General Directorate of Prisons.

According to the information, SPAK’s refusal was based on the provisions of Law No. 81/2020, “On the rights and treatment of those sentenced to imprisonment and detainees,” which sets out the rights and treatment of persons in detention, as well as the competences of the responsible institutions.

The Municipal Council had argued that the mayor’s presence was important for the examination of issues related to the administration of the Municipality of Tirana, while today’s agenda also includes discussion of the draft law on the administrative-territorial division of local government units.

In the request addressed to the institutions, the Municipal Council also referred to Constitutional Court decision No. 66, dated November 3, 2025, arguing that the mayor’s participation in Council meetings is linked to the exercise of his institutional functions.

Veliaj is in detention and remains under the prison-arrest security measure. On September 15, the High Court upheld the security measure against him, following a review of the case in implementation of an earlier Constitutional Court decision.