The Special Court of Appeal decided to uphold Fredi Beleri’s imprisonment while imposing an obligation of appearance for Pandeli Kokaveshi.
The elected mayor of the Himara municipality did not appear before court but was represented by his lawyers, who have been appealing for a milder security measure for Beleri, citing health issues.
Both Beleri and Kokaveshi have been admitted to a Tirana prison hospital.
In an appeal filed by Beleri on May 25th, the ethnic Greek’s legal team had asked for the case against him to be dropped, claiming there is no evidence to involve him in the criminal offense he is charged with.
Beleri and his collaborator Kokaveshi are accused of vote buying during the campaign for the Albanian local elections, accusations Beleri has described as “politically motivated”. The stance is supported by Athens.
Greek Foreign Minister Vassilis Kaskarelis met with his Albanian counterpart Olta Xhaçka this Thursday in the sidelines of an unofficial summit of NATO’s Foreign Ministers being held in Oslo.
During their discussions, Kaskarelis demanded Beleri’s and Kokaveshi’s release, with the issue sparking new disagreements between Tirana and Athens.
The ethnic Greek elected mayor was arrested only two days ahead of the elections on the basis of wiretaps revealing a third person would give him a list of names of those who would vote for him if he paid them equivalent to 45 euros. In addition, it is alleged that Beleri promised to pay the intermediary around 300 euros, but that all transactions took place via an intermediary, rather than with Beleri himself.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and outgoing Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias have condemned the arrest and said that if Beleri is not released, they would potentially block Albania’s EU accession path.
Prime Minister Edi Rama and Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka have previously said the matter is not politically motivated and that it is imperative justice structures are allowed to continue their work without pressure and interference.
Fredi Beleri, a candidate of the “Together We Win” coalition was given the mayoral mandate by the Central Elections Commission, after the tight victory he scored against Socialist Party opponent and candidate Jorgo Goro.
It is yet unclear if he will assume office, as he remains imprisoned.
Beleri must swear in front of the Municipal Council of Himara in order to officially carry out his mayoral duties.
