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TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Supreme Court docket on Friday upheld a verdict of the decrease courts protecting a former elected mayor from the nation’s Greek minority in jail after he was convicted of shopping for votes.
A Supreme Court docket assertion mentioned that it upheld the verdicts of the courtroom of first occasion and the courtroom of enchantment which had sentenced Freddie Beleris, 51, to 2 years in jail.
Beleris, who has twin citizenship, can be a member of the European Parliament. He gained a Greek seat within the EU legislature in elections final month, representing the governing conservative New Democracy occasion.
Beleris’ workplace in Athens mentioned Friday that jail authorities have granted him go away for 5 days to attend the opening session of the brand new Parliament in Strasbourg on July 16-21.
In Albania, jail division spokeswoman Fernanda Cenko mentioned Beleris’ go away request was “nonetheless being thought-about.”
European Parliament lawmakers take pleasure in substantial authorized immunity from prosecution, even when the allegations relate to crimes dedicated previous to their election.
Within the case of Beleris, that rule is unlikely to have an effect on the result, as he’s serving time for against the law dedicated in a non-EU member nation.
Final yr Beleris was elected mayor of Himare, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, Tirana. He was arrested two days earlier than the vote, accused of providing 40,000 Albanian leks (360 euro on the time) to purchase eight votes. Beleris was by no means sworn in as a result of he was underneath arrest and later sentenced to 2 years imprisonment.
Beleris has denied the fees, and Athens has described his detention as politically motivated.
After the enchantment courtroom verdict, Albanian election authorities stripped Beleris of his submit as Himara’s mayor and a brand new election can be held Aug. 4.
Beleris’ case has strained ties between Tirana and Athens, with Greece saying the case might hurt Albania’s software to affix the European Union. Albania, a candidate nation, is within the means of negotiating full membership.
Albania’s authorities mentioned it might do nothing whereas the case was in courtroom.
Albania, a former communist nation and a present NATO member, has a traditionally tense relationship with Greece, largely over problems with Greek minority rights and the sizable Albanian neighborhood in Greece.
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