A senior political figure has questioned whether the continued detention of the Mayor of Albania’s capital city is “strictly necessary.”
Erion Veliaj has remained nominally in office as mayor of Tirana despite being held in what is known as pre-trial detention (PTD) since February 2025.
He is accused of corruption and money laundering but strongly denies any wrong doing.
The latest in a protracted series of court cases takes place on 15 September when his case will be considered by Albania’s Supreme Court.
This comes after the country’s Constitutional Court recently called for a review as required by Albania’s constitution.
The hearing has assumed particular importance as it is a review of both his pretrial detention and its proportionality.
The mayor’s local lawyer Plarent Ndreca said, “Following the Constitutional Court’s judgment, the legal basis for maintaining Mr Veliaj in detention has fundamentally changed.”
In an exclusive interview with this website,  a senior figure with the European Democratic Party said the case “raises serious questions of necessity and proportionality.”
Sandro Gozi, the party’s Secretary-General and also a French MEP with Renew Europe, a mainstream group in the European Parliament, suggested his continued detention may be “excessive.”
This site asked Gozi what specific concerns he had about the case.
He said, “Let me be very clear: fighting corruption is essential, particularly in a country seeking EU membership, and asking for respect for the rule of law can never mean asking for impunity.
“Serious allegations must be investigated and prosecuted independently, whoever is involved. But the rule of law also means proportionality, due process and the presumption of innocence.”
He pointed out that Veliaj has been in pre-trial detention since February 2025, adding, “and after such a long period it is legitimate to ask whether continued detention remains strictly necessary or whether alternative measures could be used.”
Some have argued the case “shines a light” on current flaws in the judiciary and rule of law in Albania.
On this,Gozi, secretary general since 2021, said , “One case cannot define an entire judicial system, and Albania has made important progress in fighting corruption.”
He added, “However, there is a broader issue that deserves attention: Council of Europe SPACE data show that 58% of Albania’s prison population was being held without a final sentence, the highest proportion in Europe, compared with a European average of 29%.
“The same analysis notes that very high levels of pre-trial detention can be associated with slow proceedings or an excessive reliance on detention as a precautionary measure.”
The MEP said, “These are concerns Albania should address as part of its European path.”
Albania is a leading front runner to join the EU, possibly as soon as 2030, and is lauded for closing most of the negotiating chapters required for EU membership although some say ongoing issues with its judiciary may slow progress towards accession.
Gozi, a member of Mouvement Democrate in France, said, “I strongly support Albania’s European perspective, but accession must remain merit-based.
“No judicial system is perfect, including those of existing Member States, but respect for the rule of law, judicial independence and fundamental rights must be firmly guaranteed before accession,” added the Euro deputy, who chairs the Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly.
Asked about the use of PTD in the case of the mayor, not least as an elected official, and also the time taken for his case to come to trial,he said, “Eighteen months of pre-trial detention is an extremely long period and raises serious questions of necessity and proportionality.
“This concern remains entirely unchanged regardless of Mr Veliaj’s political position.”
The MEP, who is from Italy and was former Undersecretary of State for European Affairs in the Matteo Renzi and Paolo Gentiloni governments, declined to be drawn the length of time the case was taking to come to court, saying, “I will not speculate on allegations concerning an independent court.”
The European Democratic Party also recently posted a statement on the case which pointed out the mayor had been as been in PTD since 10 February 2025 —  a year and a half.
The statement adds that formal charges were notified only in July 2025, after 163 days in detention and that, recently, Albania’s Constitutional Court overturned a Supreme Court decision and ordered a new review of his detention, “questioning its proportionality in light of his mandate as Tirana’s democratically elected mayor.”
It goes on, “We join those calling on the Albanian authorities to uphold the rule of law, the presumption of innocence and the principle of proportionality. This case comes against a deeply concerning backdrop for Albanian democracy.
“We will keep the spotlight on it, because Albania deserves a European future — one that is fully democratic, transparent and firmly committed to fighting corruption, while guaranteeing that justice is always exercised with fairness, independence and respect for fundamental rights.”
European Democratic Party members include Renew Europe MEPs and, in 2025, RE “strongly condemned” what it called the “politically motivated” arrest on corruption charges against another elected official: Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev.
Speaking earlier this year, RE Lithuanian MEP Petras AuštreviÄŤius, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on enlargement, praised Albania’s reform effort but said that concerns regarding pre-trial detention practices in Albania “demonstrate precisely why judicial reforms must deliver real results.”
Ben Brandon, of Mishcon de Reya LLP, is one of Veliaj’s international counsel based in London. He is just returned from Tirana where he was able to visit the mayor in prison for the first time since the official’s arrest.
Speaking to this site, Â Brandon said “We have long argued that Erion Veliaj’s pre-trial detention is unnecessary and disproportionate. Until the Constitutional Court examined his case, no court in Albania properly considered the relevance of his status and responsibilities as the democratically elected Mayor of Albania’s capital city, or the available alternatives to detention. The Supreme Court has been directed to re-examine the proportionality of his continued detention by the Constitutional Court on 15 September.
“We hope that the Supreme Court will follow the clear reasoning of the superior court, correct the obvious errors that have been made in Mayor Veliaj’s case over the past 18 months, and release him immediately.”
Currently, there are local media reports that a separate investigation has now been opened against the Mayor, focused on expenses, though this has not been confirmed.
With the clock ticking on Albania seeking to close its last remaining EU negotiating chapters, some argue it is not a coincidence 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 Veliaj.
Veliaj’s case is not the only one to have captured the Albanian 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 at a centre close to the Albanian coast.
His local lawyer points out it is not the first time concern has been raised about the use of pre-trial detention in Albania with most recent data showing 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  – 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 praised for its efforts in this regard and has been  hailed for its work, including by the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Albania, Socialist MEP Andreas Schieder, as being “essential”, not least in helping to fulfil the country’s pre-accession reforms.
The MEP has, in the past, said SPAK was playing a “crucial role” in the fight against corruption and “shows the Albanian government is taking this task very seriously.”
Asked to comment on the Veliaj case a SPAK spokesman said, “We can confirm that the Special Prosecution Office has concluded its investigation and has formally submitted the case for trial before the Special Court Against Corruption and Organised Crime (GJKKO), where proceedings are now under way.Any submissions relating to these matters should be made directly to the Court (GJKKO), in accordance with the procedures and timeframes set out under the Criminal Procedure Code.”
The comment was made in July and, at the time of going to press, no-one from SPAK had replied to a most recent query from this site.
