TIRANA, April 24 /ATA/ The Special Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime has decided on Friday to postpone the review of the case related to Erion Veliaj’s appeal against the decision of the Special First Instance Court for Corruption and Organized Crime on the suspension of pretrial detention deadlines.
According to the court’s decision, the postponement of the hearing was due to the invalidity of the declaration regarding the appellant’s failure to personally appear in court and the representation of the appellant by his legal counsel.
The court observed that the signature of the Acting Director of the Durrës Prison had been affixed by mechanical means (photocopy), in contravention of the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.”
Erion Veliaj’s defense counsel, Plarent Ndreca, responded, clarifying that ‘the postponement of the hearing was prompted by a procedural irregularity regarding the signature of the Prison Director, a matter which the court, rightfully, considered essential for maintaining the integrity of the due process.
This is a standard we fully support. However, the core of the issue remains unchanged and deeply concerning,” emphasized Ndreca.
“The decision of the First Instance Court sets a dangerous precedent, as it turns the suspension of pretrial detention deadlines into a form of collective punishment,” Ndreca further emphasized.
Under these circumstances, it was decided that the hearing would be postponed to April 29th, at 09:30.
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