The Greek Foreign Ministry has reacted after the Special Court today sentenced the elected mayor of Himara in southern Albania, Fredi Beleri, to two years in prison, following earlier accusations of vote buying.
“Today’s sentence by the Albanian courts against the elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri, reinforces the concerns that were articulated earlier regarding the objectivity of the procedure.
“This is due to the denial of the presumption of innocence and statements and actions from outside the process that were in favor of his punishment. As well as the fact that the final punishment is clearly disanalogous in relation to the dimensions of the so-called violation of the law.
“The term of the sentence in order not to be released prevents the elected mayor from assuming his duties even today and keeps the defeated candidate in the municipality despite the categorical court decision of a few months ago that imposed his immediate removal.
“The selective application of judicial decisions contradicts the principles of the rule of law. The Greek government will closely follow the case and aims for a fair and objective trial in the second degree of the judicial process”, it is emphasized in the reaction after the sentencing of the Albanian official from the Greek minority.
