Beleri alleges political expediency behind judicial delays

Fredi Beleri, the mayor-elect of Himare, in southern Albania, currently held in detention pending trial on corruption charges, has accused judicial authorities of intentionally delaying the case for political convenience.

In a statement issued from his jail cell on Sunday evening, Beleri pointed out that nearly 30 days have elapsed since the First Instance Court of Durres referred the case to the Supreme Court for a determination on which court should handle his request for a special permit to take the oath as the mayor of Himare. He lamented the absence of a response or the setting of a trial date, noting that the Court typically should respond within five days.

“The unprecedented delays, with grave repercussions for the Himare community, its voters, and the residents who anticipate the change in local governance, a change they have expressed through a free and voluntary vote, are prolonging the case without any legal justification,” Beleri said.

“Judges who disregard procedural deadlines and manipulate the law, even within Albania’s highest judicial authority as members of the Supreme Court, are essentially extending the tenure of Himare’s most corrupt and reviled mayor over these 30 years of pluralism,” Beleri said, adding that there can only be one explanation for this behavior: 

“Segments of the judiciary have been co-opted for political purposes and are being used to protect the corrupt system of local governance in Himare.”