Attorney for Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, Plarent Ndreca, said that Justice Minister Toni Gogu met with Veliaj in the prison director’s office in a one-on-one meeting.
According to Ndreca, the minister may visit a sentence-serving institution for inspection, but not for private meetings with a defendant who is on trial.
“There was no request from Veliaj to meet with the Minister of Justice, and the minister cannot go at 22:30. In the exercise of his duties, he goes during official hours and with inspectors. He has the right to inspect, but not to meet one-on-one with a defendant, and not to meet in the prison director’s office”, Ndreca told reporters.