FLASH NEWS
SPAK said that Veliaj has been acquainted with the acts of the file, the lawyers of the mayor of Tirana react: He has not yet been acquainted with any evidence
2025-12-06 16:28:44 / POLITIKË
A day after the statement and public clarification made by SPAK regarding Erion Veliaj's claims that he was not familiar with the proceedings, the defense of the mayor of Tirana has reacted.
According to Veliaj's defense, the latter does not yet have any evidence available, while they add that the time available to familiarize themselves with the file is insufficient for them, as the file has 60 thousand pages that will need to be read carefully.
The lawyers underline that all requests for additional time were submitted only to guarantee the fundamental right to full and effective knowledge of the case materials, and that any postponement was decided by the court after assessing that the requests were justified and necessary for the exercise of the defense.
Reaction:
In response to SPAK's announcement dated 05.12.2025
The legal defenders of Mr. Erion Veliaj consider it necessary to clarify certain procedural elements, which are essential for the public and for guaranteeing a fair trial. This statement aims to clarify the concrete circumstances related to the recognition of acts and the effective exercise of the constitutional right to prepare the defense.
1. Mr. Veliaj's defense has consistently emphasized that the right to be fully acquainted with the acts is a fundamental condition for the exercise of an effective defense. The process cannot proceed without first ensuring that the defendant and the defense have been acquainted, in a real and non-formal manner, with the materials on which the trial will be conducted, an unchanging standard in any legal system and an integral part of the principle of “due process” (Article 42 of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania). This requirement stems directly from Article 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, which guarantees every citizen under indictment the time and facilities necessary for the preparation of his defense, the right to defend himself in person or through a lawyer of his own choosing, as well as the right to communicate freely and privately with his defense attorney.
2. All requests for additional time have been submitted solely to guarantee the fundamental right to full and effective access to the case materials. Any postponement has been decided by the court after assessing that the requests were justified and necessary for the exercise of the defense. In no case has the defense sought delay, but has only requested compliance with the legal standards of a fair trial, which have not been fully guaranteed by the court so far.
3. The file contains about 60,000 pages, which include technical documents, financial analyses, audio transcripts and other dense materials. It is a well-known fact in the scientific literature that: an adult reads about 50 pages/hour in simple texts; in complex materials, the pace drops to 10–20 pages/hour. Just for the simple reading (not for legal analysis) of 60,000 pages, within 30 days, working 8 hours a day, 20–40 full-time lawyers would be needed, without performing any other tasks. Such a task is objectively impossible in any justice system and contradicts the constitutional and European standard of proportionality and “reasonable time” in the preparation of the defense.
4. Despite the lack of sufficient time and the lack of full access to the materials – including the fact that Mr. Veliaj does not yet have any evidence of the file at his disposal – the defense has worked intensively to be fully cooperative with the court and not to cause delays. Hundreds of working hours have been dedicated to reviewing the parts made available, but this cannot be considered sufficient to guarantee the standards required by the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights for a real and effective preparation of the defense.
5. The prosecution has admitted in the press statement that investigative actions were carried out outside the formal investigation deadline, a circumstance that raises legitimate doubts about the compatibility of the prosecution materials with the file filed in court. To ensure the fairness of the process, it is essential that the defense and Mr. Veliaj have full access to the court file, as the court hearing will be conducted on that file. This is a minimum standard of any fair process and does not constitute an obstacle or challenge, but a basic requirement for transparency and procedural clarity.
6. The lawyer-client relationship is a professional relationship regulated by law and codes of ethics, and has no connection with the procedural obligation of the investigation and prosecution bodies to guarantee the defendant full access to the evidence used against him in court. At this judicial stage, the focus remains single: creating conditions that enable the real and effective preparation of the defense.
The Defense urges the Prosecution to fully implement the standards of institutional maturity, focusing on the obligations stemming from the Constitution in the courtroom and not outside it in public statements that do not replace the transparency and clarity of the judicial process.
We expect the court to guarantee this fundamental obligation, as any deviation from this standard would reduce the process to a formal exercise, undermining its essential purpose: the realization of justice and not the production of a statistical result.
Defense of Mr. Erion Veliaj,
06/12/2025
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