In the Special Court Against Organized Crime and Corruption, the first session of the trial against the elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri, was held this Thursday.

Special Court Against Organized Crime and Corruption has passed for trial the case against Fredi Beleri, who will continue to stay in prison.

On Monday, the next session of the Appeal for the consideration of the measure of arrest has been scheduled.

Fredi Beleri’s lawyer, in a communication to the media, said that the elected mayor of Himara himself has declared that he is being held in prison for political reasons.

“He is being held in prison for political reasons. He declared them in the courtroom,” said the lawyer, while adding that the trial is expected to last, so keeping Beleri in prison is not fair.

Beleri has been in prison since May 12 this year after he was arrested for buying votes on the eve of the May 14 local elections.

The prosecution accuses the winner of the elections in Himara of giving money to 8 citizens to vote in his favor during the local elections.

Keeping him in prison has brought a clash with the official Athens, which accuses the Albanian government of politically keeping Fredi Beleri in a cell to prevent him from being sworn in as mayor.