Albania allows imprisoned Greek MEP to attend Strasbourg session

Albania on Sunday (14 July) authorised a dual Greek national imprisoned on charges of electoral corruption to travel to France to take part in the European Parliament's inaugural session as a Greek MEP, a prison spokesperson said.

Fredi Beleri, 52, a member of Albania's Greek minority, is serving a two-year sentence for buying votes ahead of his May 2023 election as mayor of Himara in southern Albania.

He was nonetheless elected last month on the conservative list of Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as an MEP in the EU Parliament, whose inaugural session is set for 16-19 July.

"Following his request, the prisoner Dhionisis (Alfred) Beleri has been authorised to travel to Strasbourg from 15 to 20 July to take part in the European Parliament sessions," Fernada Cenko, spokeswoman for the Albanian prison administration, said in a statement.

"But he can only remain for the inaugural sessions, and when they finish "the detainee... must return to serve his sentence in Fier prison", she said.

Beleri was arrested two days before the May 2023 municipal elections, accused of offering 40,000 leks (€397) in exchange for votes. He did not take up his post as mayor.

A lower court ruling was upheld on appeal at the end of June, and confirmed Friday by Albania's supreme court.

The Beleri case has caused friction between Athens and Tirana, with the Greek government voicing concerns "regarding the impartiality of the legal proceedings".

In March, the Greek foreign ministry called his two-year sentence "obviously disproportionate to the extent of the alleged offence".

Last May, Athens also warned that the case could impact Albania's EU accession efforts.