Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry protests sentencing of Fredi Beleri

The two-year jail sentence lowered on ethnic Greek and Himare mayor-elect Fredi Beleri “intensifies concerns expressed in relation to how objective the process was,” the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.

Beleri has been remanded in custody since the eve of local elections May 2023 over charges of voter bribery, which Beleri has said were false, while several appeals to be released have been rejected by Albanian courts.

The same court sentenced his co-defendant Pantelis Kokavesi to an 18-month suspended jail sentence.

The ministry also said the final sentencing is disproportionate to the extent of the so-called felony. Such a “selective implementation of judicial decisions and the predetermined court decision does not agree with the rule of law,” the MFA said. It added that the Greek government is “closely monitoring the issue and looks forward to a just and objective decision in the appeal process.”

Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry protests sentencing of Fredi Beleri – https://t.co/uLDbilTWim pic.twitter.com/STjj72Y2X2

— Flight (ΠΤΗΣΗ) (@PtisiMagazine) March 6, 2024