Fredi Beleri won a mayoral election in Albania in May last year but was put on trial for vote-buying, souring relations between Tirana and Athens.
An ethnic Greek man at the centre of a diplomatic row between Albania and Greece will run for the European parliament from behind bars in Albania on behalf of Greece’s ruling New Democracy party, his lawyer told BIRN.
Fredi Beleri was arrested on suspicion of vote-buying shortly before local elections in Albania in May last year. He won the election to become mayor of the seaside region of Himara but has been prevented from taking up office due to his continuing custody.
Beleri was sentenced in March in a first instance ruling to two years in prison, to the consternation of Albania’s southern neighbour which accused Tirana of violating the rights of ethnic Greeks in the country. Athens has threatened to block Albania’s European Union accession talks over the row.
Beleri’s lawyer, Eugen Gjyzari, confirmed reports in Greece that Beleri will be a candidate for New Democracy in European parliamentary elections in June.
Himara municipality is currently being run in a caretaker capacity by Blerina Bala; the previous mayor, Jorgo Goro, was arrested on suspicion of corruption in what prosecutors say was the illegal transfer of state land to private individuals.
New elections in Himara are expected once a final ruling is made in the Beleri case.
