Latest News from Albania
Beleris: They told me to resign as Mayor of Himara in order to set me free
Andreas Loverdos visited him stating, “the conviction to two years in prison is tangible evidence that the rule of law does not exist in Albania”
What comes after the conviction?
Things are judged by results, and in the case of Fredi Beleri, things have not gone at all well. The mayor-elect of the predominantly ethnic Greek town of Himare in southern Albania is to remain in prison until September 12, 2024. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's goal is for the appeal trial to be finished by September too, so that Beleri can be convicted once and for all and disqualified.
Beleri imbroglio freezes prospects of bilateral deals
Greece's decision to block Albania's EU accession process in the wake of mayor-elect of Himare Fredi Beleri's prosecution and sentencing will inevitably impact Greek plans to reach an agreement on the delimitation of maritime exclusive economic zones that Athens hoped would serve as a blueprint for the more important negotiations with Turkey.
Rama burns bridges with Beleri conviction
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's choice to cut ties with Athens was reflected by Tuesday's ruling of the Special Anti-Corruption Court in Albania sentencing the elected ethnic Greek mayor of Himare, a municipality in southern Albanis, Fredi Beleri, in the first instance, to two years in prison on charges of vote buying.
Albania: Ethnic Greek mayor sentenced to two years for vote buying
An Albanian court on Tuesday convicted a mayor from the country's Greek minority to two years in prison for buying votes, a ruling that was expected to raise tensions with neighboring Greece.
The Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime also handed Pantelis Kokavesis, Beleri's aide, an 18-month suspended sentence.