Tensions inside Tirana Municipality have escalated after a senior official filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors against the city’s acting mayor, accusing her of refusing to comply with a court order regarding his reinstatement.

Alban Dokushi, the Secretary General of Tirana Municipality, who returned to his position following a court decision, has accused acting Mayor Anuela Ristani of failing to implement the ruling that ordered his return to office.

According to the complaint, instead of being reinstated as Secretary General, Dokushi was appointed to lead a municipal directorate. He claims that Ristani’s decision constitutes abuse of office and obstruction of the execution of a judicial decision.

Dokushi was removed from his position following the arrest of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, but later won a court decision granting him the right to return to his previous role. In response to the ruling, Veliaj signed an order reinstating him as Secretary General of Tirana Municipality.

However, despite the order signed by Veliaj, Ristani reportedly refused to proceed with the reinstatement, triggering an institutional dispute that has now reached the Prosecutor’s Office.

Dokushi is considered one of Veliaj’s closest associates. He was reportedly the first person to visit the mayor in detention following his arrest on February 10 and accompanied Veliaj during his first appearance before the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK). Dokushi himself was also questioned by prosecutors in March last year.