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| Fredi Beleri |
Fredi Beleri, the candidate of the 'Together We Win' coalition for the Municipality of Himara, has been officially arrested by order of the Prosecutor's Office of Vlora on the charge of 'active corruption in the elections', i.e. for buying votes. He was detained by the police last night at midnight, along with 3 others, while he has been under investigation since May 8.
His lawyer Redi Ramaj said in an interview for Euronews Albania that Fredi Beleri has the right to continue running for Himara municipality in the May 14 elections until there is a court decision for him.
"The race can continue as we are 2 days before the elections and it is not possible that this candidate registered according to the rules not to continue to be registered on the ballots. If we have a final court decision on his conviction, we can have a repeat of the voting in this area, if he is the winner. If not, the process continues normally. If there is a final decision against him, the elections will be repeated without him, as the law prohibits it", said the lawyer.
Reacts Greek Prime Mnister
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reacted from the island of Lesbos where he is campaigning for the Greek parliamentary elections regarding the arrest in Albania of the candidate for the Mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri, who is accused by the prosecution of vote-buying.
"Allow me to open a parenthesis here and say something about an extremely unfortunate event that took place in neighboring Albania this morning, where unfortunately the candidate for the Mayor of Himara and member of the Greek national minority, Fredi Beleri, was arrested," Mr. Mitsotakis declared.
"If Albania wants to approach the European Union, it has an obligation to ensure free and fair municipal elections and to immediately release those it has imprisoned so that they can participate in the electoral process," the Greek Prime Minister added.
In an earlier post on the social network Facebook, Mr. Mitsotakis wrote: "I informed President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen about the arrest, about the unfounded accusations against the candidate for the Mayor of Himara and member of the Greek national minority, Fredi Beleri, two days before the elections. Albania must understand that Greece and the European Union will not make concessions on the rule of law and the protection of the rights of the Greek national minority."
Nikos Dendias also reacts
Even the Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, reacted on the Twitter social network from Stockholm before an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union about the arrest of the candidate for the municipality of Himara, Fredi Beleri.
The arrest of a member of the Greek National Minority, Fredis Beleri, candidate for Mayor in Himare, Albania, and another Greek, two days before the polls, creates a scandal if there is no concrete evidence.
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) May 12, 2023
I have already informed the EU High Representative @JosepBorrellF and… pic.twitter.com/DgkBVUUHZZ
"The arrest, two days before the elections, of the member of the Greek minority, Fredis Beleris, candidate for mayor in Himara, Albania, as well as another Greek citizen, constitutes a scandal if there is no irrefutable evidence. For this I have already notified the High Representative of the EU, Josep Borrell, and the Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, who exercises the Presidency", declared Mr. Dendias.
Albanian Minister Olta Xhaçka reacts
After the official reactions from Athens, the Albanian Foreign Minister, Olta Xhaçka, also reacted.
1/3 Vote buying is a grave offense in our legislation, and our law enforcement agencies prioritize combating it during election time. This applies to all citizens of the Republic of Albania, including our Greek minority brothers and sisters participating in our elections.
— Olta Xhaçka🇦🇱 (@xhacka_olta) May 12, 2023
Through a post on the social network Twitter, Minister Xhaçka writes: "With respect, we encourage our friends in Athens to closely monitor the development of the issue, with patience, allowing the Albanian justice system to do its job without external pressures or divisive messages. It is good to keep Brussels informed, but we must also wait for the presentation of the facts."
Who is Fredi Bejleri?
The "BF" candidate for Himara currently holds the position of OMONIA's leader. He was previously accused of terrorism in connection with the Peshkëpia massacre, an incident that took place in 1994. The leader of OMONIA denied the accusations, and later he was declared innocent by the court.
The attack on the border post in Peshkëpia, Gjirokastër, occurred on April 10, 1994. A special commando of the Greek terrorist organization "Mavi" (Front for the Liberation of Northern Epirus) crossed the green border from Greece and entered Albanian territory. They headed towards the military border post, where they executed the post commander Fatmir Shehu, soldier Arsen Gjini, and wounded other soldiers Ardian Velmishi, Janaq Zaka, and Frederik Kalemi.
Fredi Bejleri wants the Hellenization of a part of Albania
During an interview for the Greek media "Protothema". Asked by the Greek journalist how important the May 14 elections are for "Hellenism" in Himara, Fredi Bejleri answers that "we have lived as Greeks for thousands of years and this will not change".
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| Fredi Bejleri and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Himara (archive) |
"But it is vital for the Hellenism of Himara to overcome the obstacles that prevent it from having opportunities, good jobs, enjoying the wealth that has been denied to us for 60 years, to have education in the mother tongue for all and for excellent, because it deserves it, in the progress of Albania's accession process. (in the EU). Therefore, my election will facilitate the path of Hellenization with the support of all the political forces of Greece, which I thank with all my heart, it will help in the cooperation between the two countries, a necessary condition for our progress," Bejleri said.