The Special Court has made the decision on the request of the mayor Erjon Veliaj and his lawyers, which was related to the live broadcast of court sessions for the public.
After listening to the parties and requests, it is known that GJKKO rejected Veliaj’s request for live sessions.
And the lawyer Plarent Ndreca has asked for the scanning of the investigative files.
“Veliaj should be taken out of the court cage. It is not known how the anonymous reports entered the file and the institution”, he said, among other things.
The court session against the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, has continued amid strong debates on the transparency of the process and the conditions of its development.
Veliaj’s request to the court was also read, where he requests that the hearings be broadcast live to the public. According to him, this will give citizens the opportunity to closely follow the progress of the judicial process.
However, cameras were not allowed in the courtroom this Monday, as one of the defendants, Elman Abule, did not consent to being filmed.
The head of SPAK, Altin Dumani, stated that the prosecution body has no objection in principle to the live broadcast, but emphasized that such a practice could affect the investigative and judicial process.
He underlined that in criminal cases, especially when witnesses or associates of justice are involved, live broadcasting is not allowed, adding that such a practice is not applied even in the countries of the region, in Europe or in the federal courts in the USA. According to him, only limited film footage can be allowed, without exposing the witnesses.
During the session, there were also exchanges between prosecutor Ols Dado and lawyer Plarent Ndreca. At one point, Dado asked the lawyer to wait for the word of the prosecution, while Dumani accused the defense that for two months it has been presenting repeated and artificial requests in order to drag out the judicial process.
In the end, the court rejected Veliaj’s request for the live broadcast of the hearings.
On the other hand, lawyer Plarent Ndreca raised concerns about the administration of anonymous reports, citing the cases of Nesti Angoni and Nasta Pëllumbi. He also requested that Veliaj not be kept in a glass cage during the trial, arguing that this violates equality in the process and citing the example of the Constitutional Court, where according to him there were no such problems.
Ndreca added that the investigative file includes interceptions that the defense did not listen to directly, but only through minutes, which according to him are interpretations. He requested that all investigation files be scanned and SPAK clarify how the reports were administered, whether through mail or email.
In response, prosecutor Ols Dado stated that keeping the defendant in the glass structure is not a problem, stressing that it is not a “cage”, but an environment that allows communication. He added that the conditions in the Special Court are very good.
