Fredi Beleri, the mayor-elect of the ethnic Greek city of Himare in Albania and an elected MEP for Greece, will remain in prison, a court of appeals in Tirana ruled on Tuesday.
The court rejected an appeal by Beleri, who ran as a New Democracy candidate in this month’s European Parliament election.
Under the court’s ruling, the ethnic Greek politician will have to stay in prison until October, following his conviction earlier this year for buying votes in last May’s local elections in Albania. These are charges he and Athens believe are politically motivated and entirely spurious.
In recent comments to the media, Beleri had said he was not optimistic about an early release, as he believes he is being deliberately targeted by the Albanian prime minister.
“I know that the Albanian judicial system is controlled by Edi Rama,” Beleri has said in comments in the past.
Beleri was elected mayor of Himare, situated 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, Tirana, but he was arrested before the vote for allegedly offering 40,000 Albanian leks (390 dollars at the time) to buy eight votes.
The Greek politician came out on top in the election but could not be sworn in while under arrest.
Beleri’s sentencing exacerbates Greece-Albania tensions
The Beleri affair has led to a considerable strain in relations between neighbors Greece and Albania.
Greece’s foreign ministry said the court decision to impose a two-year jail sentence “increased the concern already expressed on the objectivity of the judicial process,” arguing that the sentence is “clearly disproportionate to the alleged offense.”
“The selective implementation of court rulings and the prejudging of court decisions do not conform with the rule of law,” a ministry statement said. “The Greek government will closely follow the case and hopes to see a fair and objective ruling at the appeal trial.”
In December, while he was in detention, Beleri’s request for special permission to be sworn in as mayor was rejected by the Albanian court of appeal. At that time, Greece also asserted its disapproval of Albania’s treatment of Beleri, accusing the country of violating the rule of law and Greek minority rights.
At the Berlin Process Summit that took place in Tirana in October, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis was unequivocal:
“I want to emphasize my respect for the independence of the Albanian Judiciary and I have no desire to interfere in the way it operates. However, I want to stress that Fredi Beleri has the right to be sworn in as Mayor of Himare even if he is in custody.”
Greece has already submitted a written statement that accompanied the European Council’s letter on the opening of negotiations with Albania, setting three basic conditions for promoting Tirana’s accession. These are the swearing-in of Beleri, his fair trial, and respect for the presumption of innocence.
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