An Albanian appeals court has upheld a sentence of two years in prison for an elected mayor from the country’s Greek minority. The move on Tuesday is expected to further exacerbate tension with neighboring Greece. Dhionisios Alfred Beleris was imprisoned in March after he was convicted of buying votes in municipal elections last year.
TIRANA, Albania — An Albania n appeals court on Tuesday upheld a two-year prison sentence for an elected mayor of the country’s Greek minority, in a move expected to further exacerbate tension with neighboring Greece .Last year Beleris was elected mayor of Himare, 240 kilometers south of the capital, Tirana. He was arrested two days before the vote, accused of offering 40,000 Albania n leks to buy eight votes.
European Parliament lawmakers enjoy substantial legal immunity from prosecution, even if the allegations relate to crimes committed prior to their election. In the case of Beleris, that rule is unlikely to affect the outcome, as he is serving time for a crime committed in a non-EU member country.in the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – are at different stages in their applications for EU membership. Croatia was the last EU member country to be accepted in 2013.
Western concerns over regional stability triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine have added urgency to the accession process.relationship with uneasy relations at times, largely over issues of Greek minority rights and the sizable Albanian community in Greece.
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