An unusual move from within the Socialist majority itself has put the spotlight on how Erion Veliaj was transferred from the Durrës pretrial detention facility to the one in Fier. Fatmir Xhafaj and Bledi Çuçi have formally requested clarifications and documentation, raising questions about the procedure that was followed and the level of information the Ministry of Justice had.
The request was filed with the Assembly Presidency
According to publicly released information, the request was filed on Thursday morning with the Assembly Presidency and was then forwarded to the Ministry of Justice.
The two Socialist Party committee chairs are seeking explanations about the circumstances and urgency of Veliaj’s transfer, an issue that appears to have opened debate even within the Socialist parliamentary group.
What Xhafaj and Çuçi are asking for
At the core of the request is the need to understand whether the General Directorate of Prisons had informed the Ministry of Justice about the order to move Erion Veliaj.
They are also asking to be provided with the full documentary record followed for this process, indicating that within the majority there are at least doubts about how the procedure was handled.
Internal debate within the Socialist Party parliamentary group
This move comes after the issue was discussed at a meeting of the Socialist Party parliamentary group. According to the reported version, Bledi Çuçi asked Justice Minister Toni Gogu for explanations about Veliaj’s transfer.
During the debate, Çuçi is reported to have asked for the transfer letter and to have questioned its absence at that moment. For his part, Minister Toni Gogu claimed he was awaiting information.
Questions over the institutional chain
The fact that the request for clarification is coming from majority MPs themselves gives the issue a different political and institutional weight.
If the Ministry of Justice had not been informed in advance about the transfer, it remains to be clarified how the chain of decision-making and oversight was followed in such a sensitive procedure. If there was information, then the question shifts to transparency and the documentation accompanying this decision.
For now, it remains unclear what documentation exists, who authorized the move, and why the transfer was treated as urgent.
Xhafaj and Çuçi’s request has taken the issue out of the corridors of the prison administration and turned it into a test of the Ministry of Justice’s accountability.