Tirana’s Mayor Erion Veliaj has launched an explosive attack on opposition leader Sali Berisha, calling him a “poisonous hyena” after Berisha accused him of corruption.
Veliaj, who’s under investigation by Albania’s Special Prosecution (SPAK), lashed out after Berisha claimed investigators found a whopping €230,000 hidden in his wife’s art gallery.
But the mayor was having none of it. Speaking out against the accusations, Veliaj branded Berisha as “a man who has caused chaos for over 30 years,” accusing him of trying to smear his name.
“They’ve searched our homes, they’ve searched everything, and there’s nothing to find,” Veliaj said, hitting back at the allegations. “This is just Berisha’s latest attack, trying to drag us through the mud.”
The investigation was sparked by a raid on Veliaj’s property and his wife Ajola Xoxa’s gallery, which Berisha wasted no time turning into a scandal. But Veliaj says Berisha’s claims are baseless and part of a smear campaign.
The Mayor didn’t hold back, taking aim at Berisha’s shady past, including his role in the 1997 civil unrest and the deadly 2011 protests.
“This is the man who destroyed this country. Now he’s pointing fingers at me?” Veliaj raged. “He’s poisoned the truth, and now he’s trying to do it again.”
Veliaj made it clear that the Socialist Party believes in justice and will not bow to political games. He also warned Berisha to stop interfering with justice, saying that SPAK should be allowed to do its job.
