After the debate at the SP Parliamentary Group meeting this morning between Bledi Çuçi and Toni Gogu regarding the transfer of Erion Veliaj to Fier prison, another socialist has come out in support of the mayor of Tirana.
Lapsi.al learns from sources close to the majority that at noon today, an “urgent request for information and documentation on the practice followed for the transfer of Erion Veliaj to the Fier Penitentiary Institution” was sent to the Ministry of Justice.
The request was signed by Bledi Çuçi and Fatmir Xhfaj, who respectively head the Committee on Internal Affairs and Defense and the Committee on Civic Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight.
Çuçi and Xhafaj request information from the Minister of Justice, Toni Gogu, on the respect of the legal framework regarding the practice of Veliaj’s transfer and his isolation.
Lapsi.al learns that the request contains several points, including verification of respect for the rights of the detained person, Erion Veliaj.
The two chairmen of the parliamentary committees tell the Minister of Justice that if we are dealing with information that constitutes a state secret, the provision that justifies the restriction of access to documents should be legally argued, and the rest of the information that is not restricted should be made available to them.
We recall that Çuçi and Xhafaj are known to be close to Erion Veliaj. Çuçi was dismissed by Edi Rama as chairman of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group after publicly declaring political support on behalf of the socialist group for Erion Veliaj while the latter was a person under investigation by SPAK.
Fatmir Xhafaj, on the other hand, has a long and consolidated relationship with Veliaj, who was strongly invested in the 2021 elections to make him an MP in the Tirana district after Edi Rama had relegated him to a non-winning position on the list, with the ultimate goal of removing him from politics.
It is not yet known whether the Ministry of Justice will respond to Çuçi and Xhafaj or will be satisfied with today’s statement by the General Directorate of Prisons, which said that the order to transfer Erion Veliaj has been classified as a “state secret”. ©LAPSI.al