SPAK: case Veliaj, data for “active corruption”, “money laundering” and “

In Tirana, SPAK indicated on Friday that in the investigation that have included Tirana Mayor Erjon Veliaj and his family, there are concrete data not only for “passive corruption”, but also for other criminal acts such as “active corruption”, “money clean-up” and “Hide assets”.

The SPAK attributes these findings to preliminary investigations and evidence collected until this stage, in terms of criminal proceedings recorded in February.

From the ongoing investigations, according to the prosecution, “reportedly concrete data exists that close family members, as well as other family members close to Tirana Mayor, have received illegal benefits through certain societies and individuals, who have direct interests in Tirana Together”.

During the investigation, but according to the prosecution, “have recorded concrete actions involving financial transactions, suspicious contracts and alleged extinguishable bills carried out through certain societies, which are owned or actually controlled by close family members and other family members of Mayor”.

The Special Prosecutor added that this proceedings were based on information from the National Bureau of Investigation, which verified the data and administered documentary evidence, following a citizen (identified as N.A).

Under this proceedings, Tirana Mayor Erjon Veliaj was in the SPAK on Thursday for more than five hours. He did not comment on reporters after leaving Special Pkuroria.

Mr. Veliaj said before the Municipal Council that in SPAK he was denounced by a citizen named Nestti Angoni, who, as he put it, “does not exist”, however added that he has been co-operative with justice, while labelling the denouncing as an anonymous setup, without providing further details.

A few days ago in the SPAK was Mr. Veliaj's wife, Ayla Xoxa, in the offices of companies whose companies were checked by BiH agents, with the verdict of the Special Court, in early December and received cell phones. Checks were also conducted in the quarters of Mr. Veliaj's brother, whose cell phone was seized. The Apell Court overturned their complaint against these checks.

Meanwhile, a stance by Mr. Veliaj's legal protection was shared in local media with comments, naming the SPAK investigation as malicious, deliberate and contrary to the law.

The launch of the investigative process took place, according to this stance, no doubt reasonable legal, without sufficient evidence or indifference, but only on the basis of an anonymous connoissement and alleged, extinguishing data. It reportedly does not clearly understand the criminal acts that Erion Veliaj allegedly recorded or suspected, while stressing that if the confision was made in the name of Erion Veliaj, the prosecutor had to register his name on the criminal record and from then on began calculating the six-month term investigation, but by not doing so, the investigative deadlines were violated.

These comments state that Erion Veliaj and his family have been investigated in fact since March, but this has been kept secret by the prosecution, claiming that the investigation was being conducted “for criminal work” and not “against the person”, while investigations focused on concrete persons, against Erion Veliaj and his family, without officially announcing that status. The prosecution, according to this stance, has requested inspections and carried out the selection of telephones without a special court order, no court ruling and no approval of the user, while mobile phones were seized in search of the work, not the evidence of a determined criminal offence.

In response, the “peoples aware of”, Erion Veliaj and Ayla Xoxa, but under de facto investigation, have faced intimidation, violence, pressure and threats to force evidence against themselves, and denying them the right to protection with a lawyer. Even the release of media information on the investigation is estimated to have created room for malicious and deignive interpretations, as well as a perception of guilt against the mayor against the presumption of innocence, while the investigation is described as intent on an individual, not on a certain criminal offence, but on Mr. Veliaj, with the intention of definitely catching him in a criminal or administrative offense.

Against Mr. Veliaj, there is no charge, while continuing preliminary investigation into criminal prosecution, launched in February for “passive corruption”, which has already been added to allegations and evidence of active corruption, money laundering and hiding wealth. / VOA/