SPAK sends Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj to trial on 13 charges
Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK) has completed its investigation and formally sent Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj to trial on Wednesday. Veliaj faces 13 charges, including passive corruption, money laundering, failure to declare assets, abuse of office, and smuggling prohibited items into prison.
Why is this important: Veliaj’s case is unprecedented as he is the first sitting mayor of Tirana and senior ruling party figure to be arrested while in office. He was detained on February 10 based only on suspicion, before formal charges were filed. The case is seen as a major test for SPAK’s credibility and Albania’s anti-corruption efforts.
Context: According to SPAK, Veliaj committed corruption in nine separate cases, receiving illicit monetary and property benefits from companies in exchange for construction permits and public funds.
His wife, Ajola Xoxa, has also been indicted for passive corruption in nine cases involving commercial entities and NGOs, as well as for money laundering, asset non-declaration, and concealment of income.
The case file, known as the “Veliaj” dossier, includes 28 other individuals and companies accused of active corruption, tax evasion, and money laundering. Among them is former MP and head of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee Klotilda Bushka, charged with obstructing justice. Fatjon Baci, a prison guard in Durrës, is accused of twice providing Veliaj with a phone during transfers from detention to court.
Veliaj’s defense lawyers have categorically denied the charges, stating there is no evidence linking his official duties to any unlawful privileges for private entities:
“No abuse of public office has been proven. There is no evidence, no fact, and no document to support these accusations,” his legal team said.
Next steps: The trial will now be scheduled by the court, in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched corruption cases in Albania, given its implications for both the government and the ruling Socialist Party.
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