The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, has sent a letter to the monitoring mission of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, which will carry out its visit to Albania from 17 to 19 November.

During their stay, the Congress representatives are scheduled to hold a meeting at the Durrës Penitentiary Institution (IEVP Durrës), where Veliaj has been held in pre-trial detention since February 10, as part of investigations into corruption and money laundering.

In his request addressed to SPAK, the General Directorate of Prisons, and the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime, Veliaj asks that conditions be ensured for holding the meeting, emphasizing that the aim is transparency, direct communication, and informing the mission about his legal situation and institutional status as mayor. He also refers to the European Convention on Human Rights, specifically Articles 6 and 8, which guarantee the right to communication and representation.

Veliaj was arrested on February 10, and on September 23 the Municipal Council decided to dismiss him for absence from work — a decision later confirmed by the Council of Ministers on September 25. The mayor challenged the dismissal in the Constitutional Court, which on November 3 ruled in his favor, declaring the dismissal unlawful and reinstating him in office. According to the court, his absence from work was linked to his arrest, not to serious misconduct or abuse.