The court of Avlona in Albania decided the pre-trial detention of the candidate mayor of Heimarra, a Greek minority, Freddy Beleris .
The court of Avlona in Albania decided the pre-trial detention of the candidate mayor of Heimarra, Fredis Beleris, as the application for interim measures filed by the candidate mayor was rejected.
According to SKAI correspondent Christos Nikolaidis, Beleris will be transferred to Tirana prisons where he will remain for at least 10 days.
This means that Mr. Beleris will lose the May 14 election in Albania.
However, his party’s ballot will normally take part in the municipal elections
The Greek minority candidate for mayor was arraigned late Thursday night on the charge of buying votes ahead of Sunday’s elections and on Saturday 13/5 at the trial the prosecutor pleaded guilty.
His advocates spoke of a political decision.
In the meantime, Pantelis Kakavesis , an associate of Mr. Beleris, who was arrested together with the candidate for mayor, was admitted to a Tirana hospital .
They put the Greek self-administered people in prison
On Saturday 13/5, a third arrest of an expatriate local government official became known.
This is Vladimir Koumis , former Mayor of Loukovou, who is also accused of buying votes.
Diplomatic crisis
The case of the arrest of the expatriate candidate for Mayor of Heimarra, Freddy Beleris, on the charge of vote buying, has taken on the dimensions of a diplomatic crisis between Greece and Albania.
The trial at the first court of Avlonas for the performance of the security measures against both himself and his partner Pantelis Kokavesis , who were arrested in the early hours of Friday, May 12, took place on Saturday, May 13.
According to information from ERT, the Avlona Prosecutor’s Office would request the imprisonment of both as a security measure.
On the part of Freddy Beleris, mitigating measures were requested for health reasons.
The Ambassador of Greece in Tirana, Ms. Konstantina Kamitsi, was also present at the premises of the Avlonas Court of First Instance, who watched the trial closely.
Freddy Beleris from Heimarra gathered outside the Avlona court.
The limits of the diplomatic thriller went beyond the narrow borders of the Balkans and are news across Europe.
Athens is following the developments with particular attention.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue with the president of the Commission, announcing that “Greece will not accept discounts in the defense of the minority”.
The reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was immediate with a move towards Albania , while the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias informed his European colleagues,
The latest intervention on the matter was that of the representative of the State Department , who, when asked about it, asked to ensure the validity of the elections, calling on all sides to comply with the laws and rules.
He also recalled that the US has repeatedly asked the Authorities and political parties to ensure that voters can exercise their fundamental democratic right to express their will through free and fair elections.
For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania in a first reaction stated in her post on the internet, among other things, that the candidacy of Fredi Beleri , an Albanian citizen who is competing to be elected by his fellow citizens, does not need any special treatment, he is equal before the law like everyone else.
The head of Albanian diplomacy also pointed out that it is up to the prosecutors and judges to deal with this case according to the evidence.
He also asked “our Greek friends in Athens”, as he said, to closely monitor developments in this matter with patience, allowing the Albanian Judiciary to do its work without external pressure and divisive messages.
It’s great that Brussels is being informed, but we have to wait and see for the figures.
Beleris remains on the ballot
Despite the above, the candidacy of Beleris is expected to remain on the ballots of his combination and to be voted normally, regardless of the developments that have taken place.
It is worth noting that this is the first case of the arrest of a mayoral candidate two days before the elections.
In fact, on Friday, Freddy Beleris’ pre-election rally was held normally without his presence, with the speakers expressing the belief that the mayoral candidate will be the winner of the elections.
Supporters of Beleris did not stop shouting slogans in favor of his victory, while the daughter of the expatriate candidate, Hermione , addressed the crowd closing the event.
“We decide for the best future for our country.
“Now the time has come to change everything, the time has come to bring a better future.
“We all have a reason because Himarra is us,” said the 17-year-old daughter of Freddy Belleri.
On the side of Beleris, Rama’s former minister
From what it seems, in addition to the Northern Epirotians, Beleris also has the support of the former close partner and Minister of Justice of Edi Rama’s government, Ili Maniani , who with his comments on social networks publicly criticizes the methods.
At the same time, he directly disputes that the arrest of Beleri was made on his own accord and claims that it was pre-planned by the Rama government.
In particular, he writes the following in his profile:
“And he was arrested red-handed, but he was also a suspect!!!
“If he was caught in the act of giving money, who did he give this money to?!
»Why was the recipient of the money not immediately arrested? How much money did he give?
»Where is the money as material evidence of a criminal act?
“If money has been given, why is it tied to votes when they haven’t yet?” asks Mr. Maniani, continuing:
“For God’s sake don’t tell us that you arrested the other because he promised!!!
»Why should you first arrest the “boss” for promises!!!
»Ooooo State Judicial Police!
“By what command do you justify the police pursuit of the candidate?! No reference. Just abusive interference.
»Letters that say “I put you in full stop”.
“Look carefully at what a disaster these official letters are by which they deprive the people of their liberties in this country.
“No evidence, no evidence to understand the supposed self-inflicted arrest. Just guesswork and meaningless suggestions.”
And the former Minister of Justice concludes by saying that if he voted in Heimarra, he would support the Beleris candidacy.
“I repeat, it is claimed that he was arrested on his own accord!
“But no concrete evidence, or at least reference to any event that took place. Never!
“This is yet another fatal proof that the state and the government are under the influence of Edi Rama.
“Nothing to do with political independence, the constitution and the law! If I were a resident of Heimarra, I would vote for Fredis Beleris.”
Source: Tribune.gr