Greek and Albanian foreign ministers exchanged statements Thursday as the dispute over Fredi Beleri, a Greek mayor of Albanian origin arrested on suspicion of vote buying and placed in pre-trial detention, rumbles on.
Himare’s winning candidate Beleri, running as part of an opposition coalition, was arrested two days before April’s local elections on suspicion of vote-buying. He maintains his innocence but has since been placed in pre-trial detention.
Several appeals to reduce security measures for arrests in jail were rejected, meaning he was unable to be sworn in as mayor.
Athens and the Albanian opposition reacted strongly to the arrest, charging violations of the rule of law, democratic values and minority rights, as well as claiming the arrest was politically motivated. Greek politicians even threatened to interrupt Albania’s EU accession process or suspend its funding, causing frustration in Tirana.
On Thursday, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis called Beleri’s detention a blatant violation of the presumption of innocence. He added that the issue was discussed recently at the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo.
“Especially in the case of Mr. Beleri, I would like to emphasize that, regardless of the question of judicial decisions, of the independence of the Albanian judicial system, there is the question of detention which prevents him from carrying out his duties . This is a blatant violation of the presumption of innocence, the rule of law, his political rights and the citizens of Himara who elected him,” the Greek diplomat said.
He added that he had also spoken with Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, a reference to the context of persistent threats to block Albania’s EU accession process on this issue.
“Greece, as we already know, has taken the initiative to accelerate the Western Balkans’ progress towards the European family. And 20 years after the historic Thessaloniki declaration, Greece will still support these countries in their European perspective,” Gerapetritis said, adding that they discussed “Western Balkan issues.”
Gerapetritis’ Albanian counterpart, Olta Xhacka, responded with her own statement on
“It is impossible that our Greek friends and neighbors are the only ones who are right when they insist on a claim rejected by the Albanian courts, and this is clear to other friends and partners who say that this is a matter that of Albanian justice.” she wrote.
The minister added that the new Albanian judicial bodies, in particular the Special Court against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK), created by the EU and supported by member states, have “spoken clearly in their decisions, and the government Albanian also spoke clearly.” .”
“I told my Greek counterpart, for whom I have a lot of respect, that this issue is not based on Greek law, but on Albanian law and that, according to Albanian law, there is no will political to release Mr. Beleri from prison,” she said, adding that it is also not possible to send a notary to prison to take the oath.
On Tuesday, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said he had sought advice from the government’s legal office on resolving the swearing-in issue.
Albanian opposition politicians say there is evidence that Beleri did not buy votes and that he was targeted by a police provocateur, which he refused and fired. Additionally, they claim there is much more exculpatory evidence and witnesses to support Beleri’s innocence.
The government, for its part, says that the justice system must be able to do its job.
(Alice Taylor | EURACTIV.com)