Today, the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK) has launched an investigation into Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj and deputy mayor Arbjan Mazniku concerning the Tirana municipal council’s recent decision to demolish the National Theatre.
Sources told OraNews that SPAK has begun investigations following charges brought by the Alliance for the Protection of the National Theatre on May 6. The Alliance accused Veliaj and Mazniku for abuse of power and corruption, with regard to the National Theatre issue.
The charges were brought before the government transferred ownership of the National Theatre’s land to the Tirana municipality on May 8, and the extralegal decision of the municipal council to demolish the building on May 14.
Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) leader Monika Kryemadhi has called on SPAK to also investigate the voting procedures that were followed when the municipal council approved the demolition of the National Theatre. She accused the Tirana municipality and municipal council members of falsifying documentation and illegally deciding on the demolition of the building.
