Mitsotakis to meet Beleri at Maximos Mansion on Monday, sources say

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is scheduled to meet with Fredi Beleri, the jailed member of Albania’s ethnic Greek minority who was elected last month to the European Parliament, according to sources. The meeting is set to take place at the Maximos Mansion at 1 p.m., as indicated by the same sources.

Beleri has been granted a five-day leave by the Albanian authorities to attend the opening session of the new EU assembly in Strasbourg. During this time, he is required to maintain contact with the police and afterwards return to serve the remainder of his two-year prison sentence.

Beleri, who holds dual Greek and Albanian citizenship, was convicted of vote-buying in last year’s municipal election. Despite being elected mayor of the southern Albanian town of Himare, he was arrested two days before the vote and never sworn into office due to his arrest. Subsequently, he was sentenced to prison. Beleri has consistently denied the allegations against him.