Shady business deal behind mayor’s arrest?

After Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka met with her Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias last Monday to discuss elected ethnic Greek mayor of Himare Fredi Beleri’s jailing on charges of buying votes, she tweeted: “The meeting w/my colleague & good friend FM @NikosDendias in Brussels was a good opportunity to discuss in a frank manner Mr Beleri’s case. I made it clear that this is a judicial matter that should not affect the new page we have opened in our bilateral relations.” 

But stories published in Albanian and international media indicate that the case may be related to the building of a luxury seaside hotel in Himare and fears that Beleri could review the building permit.

Artan Gaci, Xhacka’s husband, is said to be behind AGTC, the company building the hotel, whose nominal owner is a 30-year-old US citizen with no prior business activity. The legality of land ownership is also questionable.