Albanian court extends detention of ethnic-Greek mayor accused of buying votes

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – The Albanian Special Court once again extended the detention of an ethnic Greek politician arrested over an allegation of buying votes for the local elections on May 14, the public broadcaster RTSH reported on Tuesday.

The court dismissed Fredi Beleri’s request for release, noting that he was elected mayor of the southern town of Himara while in jail. The procedure of how Beleri will take the oath as the town’s elected mayor remains unclear, RTSH added.

Meanwhile, the Greek Foreign Ministry said that the court’s decision directly hinders Beleri’s swearing-in and displays the real goals behind his prosecution.

“We are closely monitoring the developments and expect the court to respect the presumption that he is innocent – a fundamental element of the rule of law,” noted the ministry.

Fredi Beleri, an ethnic Greek minority candidate running for mayor in Himare, an Albanian coastal city primarily populated by Greeks, was detained on May 12 by the police. He was charged with trying to buy votes ahead of local elections in Albania, which took place on May 14 and resulted in Beleri’s election as mayor.

His arrest strained the relationship between Tirana and Athens.

The Greek government lodged a formal protest with the Albanian Foreign Ministry.

Greece’s then-Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on May 15 threatened to block Albania’s EU bid over Beleri’s detention, stressing that his country respects the rights of ethnic minorities.

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

In late May, NATO foreign ministers came together in an informal meeting in Oslo, where caretaker Greek Foreign Minister Vasilis Kaskarelis met with his Albanian counterpart Olta Xhacka on the sidelines to raise the issue of severing ties between Tirana and Athens.