Erion Veliaj’s defense lawyer, Plarent Ndreca, has confirmed that Justice Minister Toni Gogu made an urgent and unregistered visit to the Fier prison on the evening of Friday, October 30. Gogu, dressed in sportswear and wearing a cap, arrived at the prison without being recorded in the official logbook, raising questions about the nature and purpose of the meeting.
During the conversation held in Veliaj’s isolation cell, Minister Gogu conveyed messages and direct threats from Prime Minister Edi Rama. Gogu emphasized to Veliaj that he was obliged to pass on Rama’s message, specifying that it was:
“I am here with a message from the PM. I want to relay to you word for word what the PM instructed me to tell you: This is the last time I will address you as your political father. From today on, I will address you only as prime minister. Hand over your mandate urgently. Delegate power to the names I will tell you. Give up the lawyer Plarent Ndreca. Otherwise, I will transfer you to prison 302 and direct SPAK to start investigations for undermining the constitutional order. I will rot you in prison”, reportedly said Gogu, according to Veliaj’s lawyer.
Meanwhile, it is reported that Veliaj responded immediately, telling the justice minister: “Even if I serve 100 years in prison, I will not take the faces of my children away from them.”
So far, Justice Minister Gogu has not clarified anything regarding these claims made by lawyer Ndreca. When asked by KOHA JONE, Veliaj’s lawyer said that “everything that has been published remains true”.
