In a significant development, Albania's Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Court decided today to sentence the elected mayor of Himarë, Fredi Beleri, to two years in prison for active corruption during elections. Mr. Beleri, who has consistently spoken about his imprisonment being politically motivated, reiterated the same stance in court, accusing the Prosecution of fabricating facts and evidence against him. The Court also found Pandeli Kokaveshi, Mr. Beleri's collaborator, guilty. His sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison was converted to 3 years of probation due to health reasons.
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| Fredi Beleri durante un'udienza in tribunale a Tirana |
Mr. Beleri was arrested two days before the local elections on May 14th last year, after a Himarë resident, Arsen Rama, offered to cooperate with the Police to record conversations and actions involving vote-buying in favor of Beleri. According to the Prosecution, Rama was offered sums of money amounting to 5,000 lekë for 8 individuals, whose names were provided to Beleri by Rama. Rama himself would receive a reward of 300 euros. The money for the individuals who were supposed to vote for Mr. Beleri was provided by his associate, Pandeli Kokaveshi.
Based on these allegations, the Prosecution sought a 2 years and 6 months prison sentence for the elected mayor of Himarë, while he himself spoke in court today about a politically motivated trial, which he claims aims to pave the way for Prime Minister Edi Rama to organize new elections in the Municipality of Himarë. "The decision to convict me was made at the police headquarters, where a plan was devised for my arrest, but the plan was thwarted by the voters of Himarë. It was a political decision, stemming from my refusal to comply. The SPAK's request for my conviction with a 2-year and 6-month prison sentence is discriminatory. Other mayors convicted on similar charges are on probation or still in office. I do not find myself guilty of any accusation, and the truth will come out sooner or later," Mr. Beleri declared before the judges withdrew to reach a verdict.
The Court decided to sentence Mr. Beleri to 2 years in prison. His lawyer immediately announced an appeal, reiterating that this was "a political decision and sentence as ordered by Prime Minister Rama." The defense argues that the Prosecution presented no evidence to support the allegations and that even procedural acts were allegedly falsified. They claim Mr. Beleri was followed by the police for four days without a prosecutor's warrant, a fact supported by phone records, which they describe as a major scandal. However, the defense contends that the Prosecution succumbed to pressure from the police.
The case of Mr. Beleri, an opposition candidate in local elections and representative of the Unity for Human Rights Party, which advocates for the interests of the Greek minority, has significantly strained relations between Albania and Greece. Initially, Athens demanded his release, alleging violations of minority rights. Later, it cited violations of political rights, insisting that Mr. Beleri should be granted the right to take his oath of office. The elected mayor's requests to enable this were rejected by Albanian courts, while the country's authorities maintained that the matter belongs to the judiciary, and they cannot interfere.
Greece conditioned Mr. Beleri's case on the progress of the country towards EU membership, and by the end of the year, it became an obstacle to the decision to start concrete negotiations for the first chapters between Albania and the European Commission. This position was criticized by the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, when he stated in Tirana last week that "in Brussels, everyone agreed that Albania is ready to open negotiations for the first chapter. I cannot understand why we cannot make this decision, even though I fully understand the importance of good neighborly relations, but such relations cannot be built if you block one another from moving forward."
Greece Reacts to Fredi Beleri's Sentencing
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded through a statement to the sentencing of Fredi Beleri, the elected mayor of Himarë.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that "today's sentencing by an Albanian court of the elected mayor of Himarë, Fredi Beleri, raises concerns about the objectivity of the process."
"And this," continues the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, "due to the wavering presumption of innocence because of statements and external actions supporting the conviction, while the final sentencing is evidently disproportionate in relation to the alleged offense."
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that "the severity of the punishment, to prevent the elected mayor from leaving prison, prevents him from assuming his duties today and keeps the potential candidate at the helm of the municipality, despite the court's earlier decision to immediately dismiss him."
"The selective application of judicial decisions is not in line with the principles of the rule of law," says the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The Greek government will closely monitor the case and expects a fair and objective judgment at the second level of jurisdiction," concludes the statement from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.