During the court hearing at the SPAK/Special Court (GJKKO), Ilir Meta ironically commented on the transfer of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj to the Fier prison, linking the situation to his criticism of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. While the court had withdrawn to the deliberation room, the former president addressed one of his supporters in the courtroom, commenting on the conditions in which the Tirana mayor is being held.
“Take something for Veliaj to eat, or these people will leave him without bread, just because he criticized Vučić”, Meta declared from the defendants’ cage. He then continued with ironic remarks about Veliaj’s transfer to Fier, saying: “Send someone to Fier, he’ll be left without bread. You’ll even be left without a mayor.”
Meta’s statements were made during Thursday’s hearing, which was postponed to November 5, after the defendants’ lawyers refused to sit next to their clients as part of the lawyers’ boycott. The court decided to appoint lawyers mainly for Meta and Kryemadhi; the former president’s comments about Veliaj became one of the moments of the hearing.
