Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj Arrested

(Patria) - Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj was taken into custody today by police at the main police station of Albania's capital, sources told Radio Free Europe.

Neither the police nor the Specialized Structure for Anti-Corruption (SPAK) have yet officially commented on Veliaj's detention, which is believed to be linked to corruption.

According to sources, the Specialized Court ordered that Veliaj be held in custody, while his wife will be placed under house arrest.

Veliaj was arrested based on an investigation launched last year regarding suspicions of the criminal offense of "passive corruption of high state officials or elected local officials," after a complaint was filed with SPAK on February 8, 2024.

Veliaj was summoned to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Institution at the end of December. At that time, he told reporters that he had been anonymously reported by a person named Nesti Angoni.

- This person does not exist; we know what name and culture of lynching this style represents. This is a setup. Nesti Angoni attacked me to return us to the practice of anonymous letters - Veliaj said then.

On December 26, after being summoned to SPAK, Veliaj assessed that "it would be disturbing not to appear before the Special Prosecution because he is not one of those politicians who attack SPAK when it investigates them."

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama previously stated that a judicial process is underway against the Tirana mayor and that he will take a stance at the right time.

The first reaction after Veliaj's detention on Monday came from Lulzim Basha, former Tirana mayor and leader of the Democratic Party.

Basha said that Veliaj, with the support of Prime Minister Edi Rama, turned the Tirana City Municipality into a center of corruption.

- I welcome SPAK's determination to go all the way with corruption investigations and encourage judicial institutions to act without any hesitation against high-level corruption, which destroys the well-being of Albanian families - Basha stated.