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Veliaj's lobbying in the US amounts to around $550,000
2026-11-04 11:59:00 / POLITIKË
Lobbying payments in the United States on behalf of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj and his brother Arbër Veliaj totaled about $550,000 by the end of September 2026. The American law firm Kasowitz LLP stated that it had received $120,000 from Arbër Veliaj in five payments from April 16 to September 9. These were in addition to about $430,000 paid by the end of March.
In a statement submitted to the US Department of Justice on October 22, Kasowitz said he had briefed senators, members of the House of Representatives and their staffs about the detention of the mayor of Tirana and issues related to the progress of the legal process against him, as well as information “about US funding and training of the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime of Albania (SPAK).”
Among the lawmakers contacted were members of the Albania caucus in both houses of Congress.
Veliaj was arrested on February 10, 2025, one day after the Special Court imposed the security measure “prison arrest” on him. SPAK accuses the mayor and his wife, Ajola Xoxa, of using a network of companies and non-profit organizations to benefit from public funds and from payments to businessmen with contracts with the Municipality of Tirana. Veliaj denies the charges and has challenged the legality of the investigation and detention procedures. In September, the Supreme Court upheld the arrest measure.
The studio reported communications with the offices of Senators Cory Booker, Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Van Hollen, as well as a virtual meeting with Senator John Cornyn’s office on September 18. The log also includes an email to the U.S. Embassy in Tirana on May 4 and a communication with the State Department on September 24.
BIRN reported in June that Arbër Veliaj had paid about $220,000, mostly in August and September 2025. From October 2025 to March 2026, he paid another $209,945 in eight installments. During that six-month period, Kasowitz contacted the staffs of at least 15 senators and about 19 offices of members of the House of Representatives.
In February, the studio requested a meeting with OPDAT, the US Department of Justice office that has supported justice reform in Albania. In a response to BIRN in June, Kasowitz said it approached the office because of its role in creating and supporting SPAK. The studio said the lobbying was aimed at protecting Veliaj’s rights and that it considered the use of pre-trial detention in his case politically motivated./ reporter.al
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