The Court of Appeals Against Organized Crime and Corruption has upheld the security measure of “arrest with imprisonment” for Fredi Beleri, the elected Mayor of Himara.
Beleri is accused by the Special Prosecution Office for “active corruption in elections” committed in collaboration.
His arrest took place a few days before the elections on May 14, where he was a candidate for the Municipality of Himara as part of the “Together We Win” coalition.
On Friday morning, the Appeals Court convened to assess Beleri’s request for a change in the security measure. After hearing arguments from both sides, the Appeals Court upheld the decision of the First Instance to keep Fredi Beleri, the elected Mayor of Himara, in prison.
Fredi Beleri was arrested 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.
Beleri denies all charges against him and says that his arrest is a politically motivated setup, a stance supported by Athens, as Beleri is a Greek expatriate.
