Beleri leaves prison to attend European Parliament opening session
Fredi Beleri, a jailed member of Albania’s ethnic Greek minority elected last month to the European Parliament, left prison on Monday morning to attend the opening session of the new European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The 51-year-old, elected as an MEP with Greece’s ruling New Democracy party, was granted a five-day leave on Sunday. He must stay in contact with the police and return to serve the remainder of his two-year prison sentence. Greek government sources told Kathimerini that the decision to grant Beleri leave from July 15-20 was “a very positive development.”
“I thank you all for the support over these months. I am moved and happy,” Beleri told journalists as he left the prison facility.
He then got into a Greek embassy car to be driven to Tirana. From there, he was expected to fly to Athens and then to Strasbourg.
Beleri, who holds dual Greek and Albanian citizenship, was convicted of offering 40,000 Albanian leks (360 euros at the time) to buy eight votes in last year’s municipal election. He was elected mayor of the town of Himare, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, Tirana, after being arrested two days before the vote. He was never sworn in because he was under arrest and was later sentenced to prison. Beleri has denied the charges against him.
European Parliament lawmakers enjoy substantial legal immunity from prosecution, even if the allegations relate to crimes committed before their election. In Beleri’s case, however, this rule is unlikely to affect the outcome, as he is serving time for a crime committed in a non-EU member country.
After the appeals court verdict, Albanian election authorities stripped Beleri of his post as Himare’s mayor, and a new election will be held on August 4.
The case has strained ties between Tirana and Athens, with Greece warning that the case could harm Albania’s application to join the European Union. Albania, a candidate country, is in the process of negotiating full membership. The Albanian government has stated it could do nothing while the case was in court. [Kathimerini, AP]
