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FACTS-Veliaj, 430 thousand dollars lobbying against SPAK and justice

2026-06-19 12:09:00, Denoncim CNA

In January 2026, CNA published a series of documents and facts showing how the arrested mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, and his brother, Arbër Veliaj, paid $220,000 to lobby in the US against justice in Albania with positions against SPAK and the prosecutor in the case, Ols Dado.

He paid $220,000 for fraud/Here are Veliaj's lobbying documents in the US
January 14, 17:05

The published documents showed statements by the lobbying company "Kasowitz LLP", submitted to FARA, to the US Department of Justice, which stated that the amount paid by Erion and Arbër Veliaj for lobbying in the US amounted to 219,945 euros, or about 220 thousand dollars, an amount that was paid in 5 installments.

The payments were made with the intention of contacting and communicating with congressmen, senators, and the media for various publications regarding the case of Erion and Arbër Veliaj.

But in addition to lobbying, the documents also showed a letter addressed to US Senator Durbin, where the lobbying company emphasized that SPAK personnel involved in the Veliaj investigation are in conflict.

The document stated that prosecutor Ols Dado is an active member of the authoritarian opposition party, a property developer, and emphasized that Erion was assigned a judge with strong ties to the DP.

These are frauds revealed one after another, debunked by CNA, as neither Veliaj nor his army that protects him have been able to publish a single document showing that Ols Dado has requested to make an addition or modify his property and the document that he was refused this action, while the decisions for his stay in prison have been passed at every level of court in Albania.

Also, this report revealed that it is the writings of Mero Baze, Ylli Manjani, and Halit Valteri that are being presented as reports in the American media for Erion Veliaj's freedom.

Erion and Arbër Veliaj have lobbied in the US, paying $220,000 to fabricate lies and deceive the public, smearing prosecutors, judges, the judiciary, and SPAK.

The new campaign of attack on SPAK again

Erion and Arbër Veliaj have lobbied against SPAK again.

According to "Birn", another sum of $210,000 was paid from October 2025 to March 2026.

According to documents filed with the US Department of Justice, FARA, the payments were made by the brother of the mayor of Tirana, Arbër Veliaj.

Payments, FARA report

According to "Birn", on February 17 of this year, the American law firm "Kasowitz Benson Torres" wrote to the OPDAT office at the US Department of Justice to request a meeting on behalf of Erion and Arbër Veliaj.

This email, recently disclosed as part of documents filed with the US Department of Justice's Office of Foreign Agents, FARA, was followed by a second one on February 19.

According to "Birn", the documents prove that Veliaj's lobbying campaign in the US expanded, targeting, in addition to political figures, senators and congressmen or human rights organizations, also the Office for the Development, Assistance and Training of Prosecutors Abroad, OPDAT, as well as parts of the Department of Justice or American institutions that support SPAK with training and funding.

According to documents from the US Department of Justice, it turns out that Veliaj has spent around $430,000 since August 21 of last year until the moment of the second declaration on February 19. The amount will most likely increase and the lobbying in the US will continue.

According to documents filed with the US Department of Justice, FARA, the payments were made by the brother of the mayor of Tirana, Arbër Veliaj.

Veliaj's lawyers target OPDAT

Asked about communications with OPDAT and lobbying activity in the United States, Erion Veliaj's American law firm said that contacts with this institution are related to the role that OPDAT has played in the creation and support of SPAK, while arguing that the activities undertaken in the US are legal and aim to protect the rights of his client.

“As we have made clear in our letter to OPDAT, given this institution’s fundamental contribution to the creation of SPAK and its role in the justice reform undertaken within the framework of Albania’s European integration process, we believe that our concerns about SPAK’s use of pre-trial detention for purposes that we consider unlawful and politically motivated deserve OPDAT’s attention and response ,” said Kasowitz Benson Torres.

“ Mayor Veliaj's lobbying activities are a legitimate form of expressing and protecting his interests, especially in a process that raises questions about the integrity and fairness of the criminal prosecution conducted by SPAK, an institution that has received and continues to receive support from the United States government ,” she added.

"Birn" further reveals that the American studio "Kasowitz Benson Torres" has recently filed with FARA a second report on the activity carried out on behalf of Veliaj, which consists mainly of emails, meetings and phone calls addressed to American politicians and other international contacts, as well as the distribution of articles in defense of Veliaj.

FACTS-Veliaj, 430 thousand dollars lobbying against SPAK and justice

Report submitted to "FARA"

Now, in the new campaign against SPAK, we have a shift in the focus of lobbying, including providing information to American institutions regarding the Special Prosecution Office, SPAK, and its support from international partners.

In attack on SPAK

According to the FARA form, submitted on May 14, 2026, the representative firm “Kasowitz LLP” states that it has “provided information regarding US funding and training of the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime of Albania, SPAK.”

Part of this briefing included communications with representatives of the US legislature and the Department of Justice. The official file lists emails and requests for meetings with the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training, OPDAT, a Justice Department office that supports the implementation of justice reform in Albania.

During the months of January-March 2026, the lobbying firm contacted OPDAT officials, including Director Gregory Ducot, as well as other State Department officials, by email.

The amount of $209,945, paid in eight different installments by Arbër Veliaj, coincides with the development of a series of institutional communications.

The document shows that the lobbying firm contacted the staff of at least 15 senators, including Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, Chris Murphy and Jeanne Shaheen. In the House of Representatives, contacts were recorded with about 19 congressional offices. The stated purpose of these communications, according to FARA, was to inform about “due process issues regarding Erion Veliaj.”

In addition to political figures, international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Freedom House, the Lantos Commission, and experts from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) have also been targeted, distributing materials that challenge the security measures against the mayor.

Lobbying against SPAK

It is clear that these lobbying campaigns involve institutions that have provided assistance and support to SPAK and the fight against crime and corruption in Albania. In fact, Erion Veliaj is not being held in prison by SPAK, but by the decisions of all levels of courts, where Veliaj is accused of 13 serious criminal offenses. The mayor of Tirana, who is in the cells of Durrës prison, believes that lobbying in the US can get you out of prison when you are caught tampering with evidence, when you are caught publicly deceiving or in wiretapping with scenarios against prosecutors and justice./CNA