Albanian court upholds prison sentence of ethnic Greek politician

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - An Albanian court upheld the prison sentence of ethnic Greek politician Fredi Beleri, whose detention last May led to serious friction between Albania and Greece, local media reported on Tuesday.

As a result of the decision by the special appeal court in the capital city of Tirana, Beleri, arrested in May 2023 over an accusation of election fraud, will stay in prison until October, announced public broadcaster RTSH.

Greek Ambassador to Albania Konstantina Kamitsi, who was present at the session during the appeal trial, argued that the court’s decision violated the principle of presumption of innocence.

Recalling that Beleri was elected as a European lawmaker on the ticket of Greece’s ruling New Democracy party, she remarked that Beleri should be allowed to participate in the sessions of the European Parliament, which will start in early July.

Similarly, the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “It is an obligation of the Albanian authorities to take all the necessary measures in order to give him (Beleri) the opportunity to attend the work of the European Parliament.”

Beleri, a candidate for mayor in Himare, an Albanian coastal city mainly populated by ethnic Greeks, was arrested on May 12 last year.

He was charged with trying to buy votes ahead of local polls on May 14 which he won.

In March, an Albanian court sentenced Beleri to two years in prison for election fraud.

His arrest had strained relations between Tirana and Athens.

Some Albanian and Greek news outlets and newspapers also reported that Beleri was involved in a terrorist attack on an Albanian border post in 1994 which claimed the lives of two Albanian soldiers as part of the far-fight MAVI terror group.