The Mayor of Tirana has warned he will take his case against his continued detention to the European Court of Human Rights.
Erion Veliaj has been held in what is termed “pre-trial detention” (PTD) since February 2025, pending an investigation by Albanian prosecutors.
His trial is yet to start and he robustly denies any wrongdoing but he continues to be held in a detention centre in Albania.
His lawyer told this website Veliaj will may take the case to the European Court of Human Rights unless a scheduled court hearing later this month agrees to free him from PTD.
The Court is understood, generally, to view pre-trial detention as an exceptional measure that must not be used systematically, emphasizing it as a “last resort” that violates Article 5 of the ECHR if not strictly justified. On a general level, detention must be “reasonable in length, lawful, and based on specific, non-stereotyped reasons.”
Veliaj says the PTD he remains subject to is “inhumane” and adversely impacts on his defence and also his ability to carry out his mandate as mayor of Tirana, the capital city of Albania which has been widely praised for its reform efforts ahead of its expected integration into the 27-strong bloc.
The latest episode in what has proved a long, drawn out saga came with an administrative court hearing in Tirana on Friday ( 8 May) where Veliaj was due to challenge the legitimacy of the lead prosecutor in the case.
The modest-looking court, normally the scene of dry, legal cases such as appeals against dismissal, was transformed into something of a dramatic media circus with Veliaj arriving in a two-car police convoy from his detention centre outside Tirana.
Over 50 Albanian media, friends and well-wishers of Veliaj and others crowded into a tiny court room, designed to hold about 20 people.
After the judge over-ruled Veliaj’s request for live transmission of the proceedings, the detained mayor used the opportunity to address the court, reading from a long written statement.
He outlined the reasons why he believes the prosecutor involved “lacks the qualifications” to preside over his case.
Just ahead of the hearing, Veliaj wrote to embassies in Tirana and other organisations, such as the Council of Europe and OSCE, asking them to send representatives to monitor the session so as to ensure “full transparency.”
His “open letter” (dated 30 April) to the “international community” stated that, in February this year, he initiated a legal action “challenging the validity” of the lead prosecutor’s appointment way back in 2008.
The hearing was scheduled to address whether the lead prosecutor in Veliaj’s criminal case was lawfully appointed under Albanian law.
It is not known how many, if any, of the recipients took up the invitation – one replied saying it did not comment on ongoing legal cases – but one very clear show of solidarity and support for the mayor came in the presence of Robert Ndrenikaj, a well-known Albania film and theatre actor, who received the People’s Artist of Albania award in 1988.
Sat in the front row of the court, he and Veliaj warmly greeted each other with a handshake after the mayor, flanked by two burly police officers, entered the crowded room.
As the hearing started Ndrenikaj made an impassioned plea, telling Veliaj: “What is left of your punishment I will take your place in prison.”
Outside court, in pouring rain, the 85-year-old actor said he had known the mayor for many years as they’d grown up in the same neighbourhood.
“I have followed him since he was a boy. His father died when Erion was very young so he was raised by his mother. He was very good at school and also something of a philosopher. A rare gem,” he said.
He went on, “His detention is completely absurd and, yes, I would happily take his place. People in the neighbourhood, knowing I was coming to court, told me to wish him well. Erion has done a very good job as mayor, such as ensuring new roads were built, not just in the city but in the suburbs. He’s also supported the arts with, for example, the construction of new theatres.Tirana has never been as good as it has been under his leadership as mayor. That is why I’ve come to court: as a show of support.”
The hearing itself was over in just over an hour and adjourned. The prosecutor who was the subject of Veliaj’s legal challenge was not even present but it still gave the mayor a chance to denounce his continued PTD as “unimaginable in a democracy.”
The fact that the hearing was sandwiched between two other events was not lost on some.
Later on the same day (May 8) there were noisy demonstrations in the city centre by the country’s Democratic Party against the ruling Socialist party’s current policies.
“Schuman Day”, the founding of what was to become the EU, was also celebrated on the same streets the next day (9 May).
Albania is, currently, a frontrunner among the Western Balkans states to join the EU, with hopes high that accession will arrive as soon as 2030.
But one of the generally accepted main stumbling blocks on its road to EU integration is tackling the deep-seated issue of judicial reform and some have argued it is not a coincidence that there has been a perceived crackdown in the justice sphere, with a spate of cases brought against high profile public figures and elected officials, including the mayor of Tirana.
Veliaj’s case is not the only one to have captured the media’s attention in recent times, with a former environment minister among those charged with corruption.
However, for Veliaj the most immediate concern is his detention, even before any trial gets underway.
One positive for him, according to his main, Tirana-based lawyer, was a recent key ruling (4 May) by the United Colleges of Albania’s High Court which tightens the standards for “arrest in prison.”
The new interpretation reportedly says that such detention must be considered an exceptional measure to be imposed only after courts have genuinely examined less restrictive alternatives.
Lawyer Plarent Ndrecaj, who sat alongside Veliaj in court on Friday, told this site that his PTD prevented the mayor liaising properly with his international counsel, in New York and London, and that both he and the mayor had yet to see all the files, particularly digital ones, in the case.
“I have asked for the full case load and to see all the files but, so far, this has not happened. This prevents my client from mounting a full and proper defence,” said Ndrecaj.
He said, “This is a cause of some concern, not just for Erion Veliaj but what it says about the rule of law in Albania and that is worrying.”
“You have to ask also about prosecutors defending themselves and their organisations.”
“Recent reform of the justice system in Albania has some clear objectives: to achieve real independence of the judicial system; second, an end to the culture of impunity and also to fall into line with EU standards, bearing in mind Albania’s EU accession.
“To me and others some or all of these reforms are, currently, what you might call stuck.”
He outlined the charges his client faces, saying they fall into three main groupings: allegations relating to corruption (over construction site licences); abuse of power and money laundering, all of which he says Veliaj resolutely denies.
It is not the first time concern has been raised about the use of pre-trial detention in Albania. Data shows that about 58 per cent of its prison population, approximately, 2,653 people, are held in remand, a rate up to five times higher than the EU average.
PTD is said to frequently be used for crimes like corruption but Veliaj and his lawyers argue that to detain someone for so long – the average stay is 253 days and it is well over 400 days in his case – is “highly unusual” unless it is a case relating to drug trafficking, organised crime and/or terrorism.
The spotlight has, to some extent, also fallen on the organisation in Albania charged with the task of rooting out corruption and tackling serious crime.
SPAK, as it’s commonly referred to, has been widely lauded for its efforts and is praised, such as by the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Albania, the experienced Socialist MEP Andreas Schieder, as being “essential”, not least in helping to fulfil the country’s pre-accession reforms.
The MEP previously told this site SPAK was playing a “crucial role” in the fight against corruption and “shows the Albanian government is taking this task very seriously.”
The organisation has been approached by this site for a comment on the Veliaj case but a spokesman said, “We wish to inform you that, at this stage, we will not be commenting on this matter.”
The mayor’s legal team are critical, however, alleging that the case against their client is “a case of over-reach” and citing, as an example, the apparent reliance on anonymous tip offs.
Former Justice Minister Ylli Manjani was quoted by the Albanian Times back in February 2025 as saying this set “an alarming precedent” and asking, “How can an institution as serious as SPAK initiate criminal proceedings based on an unsigned letter?”
The paper quoted him as saying that PDT was not justified as the prosecution had not demonstrated a clear and immediate risk that would warrant such a measure.
This echoes what, well over one year down the line, the mayor and his legal experts still assert today. Veliaj says members of his family have now also come under investigation.
Ndrecaj, an experienced attorney, says that, under “EU norms” it is “highly unusual” for someone to be held in PTD for more than 7 months and, if they are, he says, it is usually for something like anti-terrorism charges. In a long interview, he also told this site that under Albanian law, the reasoning for continuing to detain someone in PTD must be explained before a court every two months.
Both Veliaj and Ndrecaj say the mayor caution that they are now considering taking the case to the European court in Strasbourg.
They insist the 46-year-old mayor poses no public risk or of fleeing the country.
They say that under EU legislation PTD must respect the “presumption of innocence and be justified by serious evidence of guilt.” Ndrecaj also told this site his client is becoming increasingly frustrated at being unable to carry out his mandate over a city that accounts for as much as one third of the whole country’s 2.4m population.
Veliaj, he said, retains high public approval ratings in the city despite his detention and the publicity – the case if often aired on TV chat shows in Albania and in the press – since his arrest.
He is a three time major of the city (the maximum term set by Albanian law) who was last elected in 2023 (when he says the case against him was first initiated), winning approximately some 60 percent of the vote on that occasion.
In his court appearance last Friday, Veliaj told the male judge, “Over 160,000 people gave their vote to me in the last elections – this was the third time I have been elected as mayor – and I still want to do the job I was elected to.”
He added, “To be kept in pre-trial detention for this long is unimaginable in a democracy.”
The argument that he retains widespread support in the city, with many giving him credit for major improvements in its infrastructure in recent times, appears to be backed by a random survey of locals.
One told this site, “Yes, he is still popular and some have even protested outside the detention centre against his PTD.”
Another said, “A lot’s been done here in recent years, such as new public parks and facilities for the old, and that is down, in part, to the mayor.”
The focus now shifts to yet another legal hearing in this protracted story: 20 May and a decision on the “proportionality” of the mayor’s PTD.
Technically, Veliaj remains mayor but, in practice, this bustling city, still trying to fully throw off the yoke of its communist past, is run by a couple of deputy mayors.
No one, of course, doubts the keen focus on justice and rooting out wrong doers in Albania, as everywhere.
Most would agree that fighting corruption in Albania is critical for strengthening democracy, fostering economic growth and meeting EU integration requirements. It is central to ending a “culture of impunity,” building trust in public institutions, ensuring fair competition, and preventing organised crime from influencing high-level government functions.
The creation of an organisation like SPAK is also seen as being absolutely crucial to ensure compliance with European standards and Albania is highly optimistic that it will become the EU’s 28th member in less than 3 years.
Tackling corruption also ensures public funds are used effectively and increases citizen confidence in state institutions, something that many could argue is needed more now than ever before.
However, the case of the mayor, it is also argued by some, shines a light on the judicial system itself.
Veliaj’s most frequent visitor while he’s been detained on PTD has been his mother and, as suggested by the presence of a retired film star at last week’s court appearance, he still remains popular.
His lawyer states, “He is in good mental and physical state and is determined to continue this battle.”
