Syri TV journalist Bledian Koka appeared at the Court of Tirana today only to find out that the hearing session of his trial versus Tirana’s Mayor Erion Veliaj had been postponed again. Koka said this is the second time a trial sessions has been postponed. Koka was sued by Veliaj after an interview in his investigative show Piranhas with the Italian nation Gabriele Tarroni Longinotti who said he knew the Mayor personally and had met to talk about the waste incinerator of Tirana.

According to Koka, this lawsuit is invalid and is nothing other than Erion Veliaj's efforts to intimidate the journalist.

“This trial is nothing else but Erion Veliaj's effort to intimidate me, the investigative show and to reject answering to questions that we have asked publicly, not by myself, not by the show, but from a person who claims to know Erion Veliaj, who has met Erion Veliaj and has seen in several reports that Erion Veliaj as a public official, at least until May 14, be hold accountable before the public”, said Koka.

“Instead of us having the public responses, as we should in a normal place where people in public office respond to allegations that are made, we are witnessing how we got a defamation lawsuit in return, which is not based on facts and evidence. This should be judged by justice and I hope it will work like that until the end”.