Relations between Greece and Albania could deteriorate further after the ruling conservative party in Greece announced on Monday that Fredi Beleri, the jailed ethnic Greek politician will be one of its candidates for the European Parliament elections in June.
Last month an Albanian court convicted Fredi Beleri, the mayor-elect of the town of Himara, of vote-buying and sentenced him to two years in prison.
The trial has angered Greece, which has threatened to block Albania’s EU accession talks if it does not respect Beleri’s rights.
Beleri case exacerbates Greece-Albania tensions
Beleri was arrested two days before local elections in May 2023 on charges of attempting to buy four votes in exchange for cash.
But in his final declaration to the court, Beleri insisted that “the prosecution’s conclusions are lies and political”. He added that “all the prosecution’s allegations were disputed by my lawyers in detail”.
The defense insisted during closing arguments in the trial on February 28 that the procedures used during the investigation of the case were illegal and so the evidence was invalid.
Beleri’s defence also claimed the police framed him using an undercover agent to entrap him – a method they have not used in any other case of alleged vote-buying, a phenomenon that is perceived as widespread in Albania.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens reacted to Beleri’s sentence saying that it “heightens concerns regarding the impartiality of the legal proceedings [in Albania].”
“This is due to the fact that the presumption of innocence was undermined by external statements and actions attesting in favor of the conviction and given that the final sentence is obviously disproportionate to the extent of the alleged offense.
“Furthermore, the sentencing by virtue of which he will not be released, prevents the elected mayor from assuming his duties, even today, and keeps the defeated candidate in office, despite a clear judicial ruling months ago ordering his immediate removal.
The selective enforcement of judicial decisions and the prejudgment of judicial rulings are inconsistent with the principles of the rule of law. The Greek government will closely monitor the case and anticipates a fair and impartial judgment at the appellate level,” the statement from Athens read.
At the Berlin Process Summit that took place in Tirana in October last year, 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,” Mitsotakis said.
Beleri won the mayoral election in Himara in 2023
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.
Beleri became the mayor-elect of the town of Himara after winning the local polls in May 2023. But since his arrest, he has been held in custody and has been prevented from assuming his mayoral duties.
As a result, the candidate he defeated, from Prime Minister Edi Rama’s ruling Socialist Party, has been doing the job instead.