TIRANA, May 29, 2025 – Democratic Party MP Ervin Salianji has submitted a formal request for conditional release, arguing he has now served two-thirds of his one-year prison sentence. Salianji has been held in isolation at Fier Prison since October 2024.

The former opposition lawmaker was convicted with a final verdict by the Court of Appeals in connection with the controversial "Babale" case, which sentenced him to one year in prison for false reporting. His initial request to suspend the sentence was rejected by the Supreme Court on October 15, 2024.

Salianji was sentenced alongside Albert Veliu (alias "Babale"), who received a 10-month prison sentence, and journalist Jetmir Olldashi, who was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

Background: The “Babale” Case

The case stems from 2018, when Salianji and the Democratic Party published two audio recordings claiming that Agron Xhafaj, brother of then-Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj, was involved in international drug trafficking. The recordings featured a man, dubbed “Babale” (witness X), allegedly confessing to drug deals.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the recordings were manipulated and that the main witness, Albert Veliu, had coordinated the fabrication of the evidence, allegedly in exchange for rewards discussed with then-Fier Police Chief Albert Nushi (also mentioned in the 2021 Pjerin Xhuvani murder case).

Foreign experts analyzed the recordings and found the voice similar to Agron Xhafaj’s, but due to low audio quality, they could not confirm it definitively.

Despite the controversy, the courts ruled the incident a case of deliberate false accusation, leading to Salianji’s conviction.

Authorities are expected to review his conditional release request in the coming weeks. /noa.al