Albania sentences ethnic Greek mayor to 2 years in prison

By Fajton Cuka and Dzihat Aliju

TIRANA, Albania (AA) - An Albanian court convicted the ethnic Greek mayor-elect of Himare on Tuesday of vote buying.

In a statement, the Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime said it sentenced Fredi Beleri to two years in prison.

Beleri’s legal team reportedly will appeal the decision.

Beleri, an ethnic Greek minority candidate running for mayor in Himare, an Albanian coastal city primarily populated by Greeks, was arrested on May 12 last year. He was charged with trying to buy votes ahead of local polls on May 14 which resulted in him being elected.

Beleri's aide, Pantelis Kokavesis, was handed an 18-month suspended sentence by the court.

Greece’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the conviction.

Beleri’s arrest had strained relations between Tirana and Athens, with the Greek government lodging a formal protest with the Albanian Foreign Ministry.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on May 15 threatened to block Albania’s European Union accession bid if it did not respect Beleri’s rights.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama responded by accusing Greece of meddling in his country’s internal affairs.