Two Italian senators are banned from meeting Veliaj in prison

Two senators from the political group 'Forza Italia', Lorenzo Grassini and Roberto Berardi, as well as senior politicians in the neighboring country, were not allowed today to visit the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, in Durrës detention center.

Through a message shared on social media, they expressed support for Veliaj and raised concerns that justice in Albania should not return to the dark ages of Tangentopoli in Italy.

Lorenzo Grassini is Forza Italia's coordinator for the Western Balkans, while Roberto Berardi, senator of the 18th Legislature, senator of Grosseto and the Forza Italia leadership community.

"We are in Durrës, together with MP Berardi, to meet with the mayor of Tirana, to see his conditions in prison. At this moment he is isolated inside this building. Unfortunately, we were not allowed entry. They reserved us a very polite reception, but the order is not to allow anyone else to enter, except family members. Unfortunately, as has happened here, in Italy, detention has become a problem, because many political figures are imprisoned as a precaution, in order to reach some solutions that today, do not work out for us.

"'Forza Italia' is always in favor of the guarantee. So, in favor of anyone who will have to prove, until the great final judgment, his innocence. We will see how it goes. Of course, this course that is taking place today is very similar to ours, during the Tangentopoli period. We hope that Albania will not go through such a dark situation", said Lorenzo Grassini.

"We are against pre-trial detention. Here it seems as if we have returned to the times of Tangentopoli, when pre-trial detention was abused. Without talking about what it can cause to the person, who may later turn out to be innocent, and who may not have committed any crime. These are wounds that remain for a long time, throughout life. Yes, justice must be done, but fair justice. We are the guarantors, therefore, of fair justice. Until proven otherwise, we are all innocent," said Roberto Berardi.

What is the Tangentopoli scandal?

During the Tangentopoli scandal, a vast network of bribery and illegal financing between businesses and political parties was uncovered, with criticism that some arrests were hasty and some individuals were unfairly harmed by the legal proceedings.