Three judges of Albania’s Supreme Court unanimously voted 3-0 to uphold a decision by the Special Court of Appeal for Corruption and Organized Crime concerning the security measure imposed on former Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj.

Court also endorsed the Appeals Court’s reasoning regarding the proportionality of the security measure.

The Appeals Court had previously determined that the measure was proportionate to the seriousness of the criminal offenses Veliaj is suspected of committing.

In its decision, the Appeals Court had found that the alleged offenses posed a significant risk and cited several circumstances it said justified maintaining the security measure.

Among the aggravating circumstances considered by the Appeals Court were allegations that the offenses were committed in cooperation with others and on more than one occasion, as well as the allegedly high value of the proceeds suspected of having been laundered.

The court also assessed what it described as the defendant’s level of risk, taking into account not only the nature of the alleged offenses but also his conduct following the imposition of the security measure.

Veliaj’s status as a special subject and public official was also cited, along with the alleged existence of all three special conditions set out under Article 228, paragraph 3, of Albania’s Criminal Procedure Code.

Those conditions concern the risk of tampering with or contaminating evidence, the risk of flight, and the risk of committing further offenses of the same type as those for which the person is being prosecuted.