Tirana’s mayor Erion Veliaj has filed an appeal with Albania’s Constitutional Court, seeking to overturn the decisions of the Special Prosecution against Corruption, its Court of Appeal, and the High Court, all of which upheld his detention under the security measure “arrest in prison.”

This marks Veliaj’s second major appeal to the Constitutional Court. In his previous case, the Court reinstated him as mayor after striking down the government’s decision to dismiss him and annulling the presidential decree for early elections in the capital.

Veliaj has been in custody since 10 February, facing a series of charges including money laundering, failure to declare assets, passive corruption in nine instances, abuse of office, and introducing prohibited items into detention facilities. According to SPAK, the bulk of the accusations relate to passive corruption involving several private companies that allegedly provided him with illicit financial benefits and real estate in exchange for building permits and access to public funds from the Municipality of Tirana.

The same investigation file includes 16 additional suspects, among them Veliaj’s wife Ajola Xoxa, former Socialist MP Klotilda Bushka, and several businessmen.

The Constitutional Court will now decide whether to accept the case for review, a move that could have significant implications for both the ongoing anti-corruption proceedings and the political leadership of Albania’s capital.