A Greek MEP jailed in Albania for vote-buying on Monday vowed to “fight for democracy” after being granted temporary leave to attend the European Parliament’s inaugural session this week.
Fredi Beleri, 52, a member of Albania’s Greek minority, is serving a two-year sentence for buying votes ahead of his May 2023 election as mayor of Himara in southern Albania.
He was elected last month on the conservative list of Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as an MEP in the EU Parliament, whose inaugural session is set for July 16-19.
“My ordeal is coming to an end. The fight for democracy, the rule of law and the freedoms of citizens continues,” Beleri said after landing in Athens according to state news agency ANA.
Ahead of a meeting with Mitsotakis at his office, Beleri promised to “defend the rights of our country and of Greeks, wherever they live”.
Albania on Sunday allowed Beleri to leave prison for Strasbourg until July 20.
He must then return to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Beleri, who has dual nationality, has repeatedly said he is innocent and that his arrest was politically motivated.
The Beleri case has caused friction between Athens and Tirana, with the Greek government voicing concerns “regarding the impartiality of the legal proceedings”.
In March, the Greek foreign ministry called his two-year sentence “obviously disproportionate to the extent of the alleged offence”.
Last May, Athens also warned that the case could impact Albania’s EU accession efforts.
Tirana insists Beleri has a shady past, including links to extremists.
In 1995, he was arrested on Greece’s border with Albania along with another six men, with guns found in their possession.
In 1997 he was handed a suspended sentence for gun possession by a Greek court, which was later reduced on appeal.
Source: AFP
