“BIRN claims to fight for the truth and in the meantime brutally takes out of context the response of the Premier’s press office. And now this false headline is being spread everywhere and then it will be quoted that he said that … This is the crazy world we live in”, said PM Rama.

The prime minister also published the statement of the press office in response to BIRN’s question on whether Erion Veliaj will be dismissed:

“It seems that you did not follow the address that the prime minister made to the arrest of the mayor of Tirana. Here we are in completely different conditions from all previous cases.

First of all, there is not a concrete corruption case for which there is an indictment; we are facing a voluminous novel about some search into his life and that of his wife.

So, in essence, we are faced with a case that creates reasonable suspicion of an investigation outside the constitutional tracks and a detention in violation of democratic standards. But, it is still too early to draw conclusions, so we reserve the right to take time.

Second, the five-year stance of the Socialist Party and the prime minister not to make any comments on any specific case, has changed with yesterday’s event of the mayor of the capital being taken out of his work office to be locked in a prison cell without trial while also imposing house arrest on his wife, mother of a six-year-old son.

This extremely problematic fact for the entire capital, not only for the mayor as a party to the process, but also for us as guarantors of the Justice Reform and at the same time of contracts with citizens at the central and local levels, even more so for the metropolis of Albania, requires a very serious reflection.

And finally, we would be very grateful to you and any media that, instead of simply reading the detective novel of the indictment, shed light on the evidence that supports or not the thread of those nearly 400 pages.

In conclusion, the answer is that not only the mayor of Tirana will hold his post, but from his arrest has arisen for us the duty to continue to be steadfast guarantors of justice, promoting as much transparency as possible so that to get to the truth. Whatever it is. /m.m/j.p/p.s./