Country’s top court rules in favour of ousted Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj regarding his dismissal – also cancelling fresh elections for a replacement for Veliaj, who is facing corruption charges.
Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj during his arrest in February. Photo: LSA.
The Albanian Constitutional Court on Monday ruled in favour of the dismissed mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, overturning the Council of Ministers’ decision to oust him and the presidential decree setting new elections in the capital.
Veliaj, who is in custody over corruption allegations, has condemned the government decision to dismiss him and the presidential decree setting fresh local elections in Tirana, calling it “an unconstitutional act”.
He compared his case with that of the mayor of Tropoja in northern Albania, who is still the local mayor despite being under house arrest while under investigation for alleged corruption.
The legal debate in the case has focused on the grounds used by the government to dismiss Veliaj and whether his dismissal followed a due process.
Veliaj’s dismissal as mayor was proposed by Prime Minister Edi Rama in early September, while presenting his new government after winning an unprecedented fourth term in office.
A few days after Rama’s proposal, the Municipal Council in Tirana voted to dismiss Veliaj on the grounds that he had missed work for more than three months. Albanian law allows for three scenarios in which a mayor can be dismissed – violation of the constitution or laws, when there is a final court decision against him or her, or when he or she does not go to work for three months in a row.
Veliaj has been behind bars since his arrest in February, and so has been unable to perform his duties. He is accused of corruption, money laundering and concealing wealth.
He has denied the charges and has claimed his arrest was unjust. In a letter sent to the city council, he asked to be present during the dismissal meeting, but his request was not accepted. Veliaj claimed he was not officially informed about the initiative for his dismissal.
