#Erion Veliaj #Kasowitz LLP #Albania #Tirana

Kasowitz LLP's Report on Erion Veliaj's Case

On March 11, 2026, Kasowitz LLP released an updated report analyzing critical due process violations related to the continued detention and prosecution of Erion Veliaj, the Mayor of Tirana, Albania. This report serves to enhance and provide updates to previous disclosures made on June 24, 2025, and October 28, 2025.

The revised report highlights two significant developments in Mayor Veliaj's case. Firstly, it reveals attempts by the prosecution — specifically the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) — to infringe upon the mayor's right to a fair trial. The SPAK has repeatedly denied Mayor Veliaj access to nearly 60,000 pages of evidence necessary for his defense preparation. Furthermore, restrictions have been placed on how and when his state-appointed attorney can communicate with him about the evidence and bolster his defense strategy. Recently, a first-instance court comprised of three judges topped this matter by rejecting SPAK's actions, ordering them to provide the evidence file for Mayor Veliaj’s review and postponing the trial by two weeks. While this decision is a step forward, it raises concerns about whether the mayor will realistically be able to analyze and engage with such an extensive volume of evidence in a limited timeframe.

Secondly, the SPAK continues to advance misleading arguments to justify the ongoing pretrial detention of Mayor Veliaj. Most recently, SPAK cited the mayor's lobbying efforts as a reason to prolong his detention. However, lobbying activities do not constitute valid grounds under the legal criteria for maintaining pretrial detention. The true motive for utilizing this line of reasoning appears to be punitive, as it effectively retaliates against Mayor Veliaj for exercising his democratic right to petition, which has accentuated the numerous defense rights violations committed by the SPAK throughout this case.

Daniel Fetterman, a partner at Kasowitz LLP and international counsel to Mayor Veliaj, expressed his concern: "It is deeply troubling that the SPAK relies on lawful advocacy and lobbying activities to justify the illegal detention of Mayor Veliaj in Albania. Addressing petitions to governments and publicly voicing concerns about one’s case are fundamental democratic rights, not grounds for imprisonment or sanction. After more than a year of pretrial detention and severe violations of defense rights, it is imperative for the U.S. government — which helped establish and advise SPAK — to review what has transpired and why this situation continues. That is precisely what we are requesting through letters to the U.S. State Department and the Department of Justice."

The full report is available here.

Kasowitz's legal team representing Mayor Veliaj includes partners Daniel J. Fetterman and Brian S. Choi from New York, as well as senior counsel Clarine Nardi Riddle and special advisor David Miller based in Washington, D.C.

For further inquiries, please contact Shannon O'Reilly at (212) 547-1290 or via email at [email protected].