The mayor of Albania’s capital city says he has received “significant” fresh support that his continued detention is “unconstitutional”.

Erion Veliaj has been held in “pretrial detention” (PTD) since February 2025 on corruption and money laundering charges, which is strongly refutes.

Now, in a fresh development, the country’s constitutional court overturned a decision by Albania’s Supreme Court and ordered a new review of Veliaj’s detention.

The new court ruling questions the proportionality of his detention, balancing it against his constitutional mandate as the city’s democratically elected leader.

The Constitutional Court is the highest authority in Albania’s legal system, outranking the Supreme Court.

The mayor was once widely seen as a rising star in the country’s Socialist party and even as the next prime minister of Albania.

He was arrested on multiple charges, including passive corruption, money laundering, and abuse of office, nearly 18 months ago by SPAK (Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime). He and his defense team robustly deny the charges, alleging that the indictment is politically motivated. He claims there have been due process defects and has repeatedly had bail appeals rejected by the courts.

Reaction to the constitutional court ruling has been swift, with Daniel J. Fetterman, Veliaj’s lead international counsel, describing the court decision as a “landmark.”

He told this site, “This decision reinforces a principle shared by constitutional democracies throughout Europe and the US: personal liberty cannot be restricted without rigorous judicial scrutiny and faithful adherence to constitutional safeguards.”

Fetterman, of Kasowitz LLP, said he “fully expects” any review “will conclude that Veliaj’s continued detention cannot constitutionally be sustained and will order his immediate release.”

Attention now shifts to the next hearing in the long-running criminal proceedings against the mayor of Albania’s biggest city, scheduled for later Tuesday (20 July).

The mayor is not expected to attend this hearing in person because of the court’s decision requiring him to participate from inside a glass enclosure rather than sitting alongside his lawyers.

His Tirana-based lawyer Plarent Ndreca told this site that the Constitutional Court had held that the use of such a glass enclosure “raises constitutional concerns relating to human dignity and the presumption of innocence” and had “ruled that the Supreme Court failed to address these arguments adequately.”

Referencing the Constitutional Court ruling, he said it had found that the Supreme Court “had failed to provide sufficient reasoning in response to Veliaj’s arguments, particularly regarding the proportionality of the detention measure in relation to his role and responsibilities as the elected Mayor of Tirana.”

The mayor’s access to legal counsel has also been an ongoing issue in what is a long-running saga. It is believed, however, that he has now been allowed to see his international attorneys. The reason for the a apparent change of mind is unknown.

Ndreca explained to this site how the latest legal moves may impact on Veliaj’s role as mayor of Tirana.

He said, “Legally speaking, he remains the elected mayor and, in theory, continues to hold that office. In practice, however, it is extremely difficult for him to exercise his responsibilities effectively while being held in isolation.”

He went on, “The wholly disproportionate pre-trial detention measure has directly impaired the exercise of his democratic mandate and, in practical terms, has suspended his ability to perform his functions, even though Article 242 of the Albanian Code of Criminal Procedure expressly prohibits a security measure from producing such an effect.”

Ndreca added, “In our view, the Supreme Court should urgently reconsider the pre-trial detention measure. Following the Constitutional Court’s judgment, the legal basis for maintaining Mr. Veliaj in detention has fundamentally changed.

“We believe there is no longer a sufficient legal justification for preventing him from exercising the democratic mandate entrusted to him by the voters.”

He said, “Equally important, the citizens of Tirana should not be deprived of their democratic right to be governed by the Mayor whom they freely elected.”

He was also asked how Veliaj was coping with his continued detention, saying, “He is facing imprisonment with remarkable courage, optimism and confidence.

“Despite the serious shortcomings that, in our view, continue to exist within the Albanian justice system in terms of compliance with European Convention standards, he remains convinced that his rights will ultimately be vindicated.

“He believes that he will soon regain his liberty, enabling him to defend himself as a free citizen while also fulfilling the democratic mandate entrusted to him by the people of Tirana.”

Some claim that the case, which continues to be widely reported in Albania, sheds light on the wider issue of Albania’s current EU accession credentials. The country is a leading contender, among Western Balkans countries, to join the 27-strong bloc, possibly as soon as 2030.

However, it is thought a possible stumbling block to it becoming the latest country to join the EU could be on the issue of rule of law.

Erida Skëndaj, executive director of the Helsinki Committee on Albania, a human rights organisation, told this site, “It is true that in the Albanian judicial system the use of pre-trial detention is excessive, and we have expressed our concern, especially about vulnerable groups and for ordinary offences, for example, for the theft of a wallet.”

She stressed, “But this is a general concern that cannot be related to specific cases that are subject to appeals or other legal remedies before domestic and international courts.”

The Mayor’s team has also challenged the “legality” of the appointment of a prosecutor involved in the case and an association of journalists and legal professionals has requested the courts declare the prosecutor’s appointment decision “null and void.”

Looking ahead, a court hearing on this issue is due for 24 July.

A spokesman for SPAK, which was approached for comment, told this site, “At this stage, we will not be commenting on this matter.”

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