Albanian court delays hearing for jailed MEP Beleri

An Albanian court on Wednesday postponed the hearing for jailed MEP Fredi Beleri's request for conditional release until September 2.

Beleri's request for release, having served two-thirds of his sentence, has been previously delayed because the prison director failed to provide the court with the ethnic Greek politician's criminal record. 

The 52-year-old Beleri was sentenced to two years in prison for vote-buying in last year's municipal election in the southern Albanian town of Himare. Although Beleri won the election, he was never sworn in.

In June, Beleri was elected to the European Parliament with Greece's ruling conservative party. 

The fresh postponement of his hearing is seen as an attempt to prevent him from assisting his chosen successor, Petro Gjikuria.