Beleri conviction not a bilateral issue but a rule of law issue, diplomatic sources say

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Pointing to contradictions and other flaws in the trial of Himare’s elected ethnic Greek mayor Fredi Beleri before an Albanian court, diplomatic sources on Wednesday said that the ruling convicting Beleri was not only a bilateral issue but one that concerned the rule of law and Albania’s EU progress.

The sources highlighted the following points regarding Tuesday’s ruling:

1. The conviction intensified concerns expressed about the objectivity of the court.
2. During the probative procedure stage of the trial, there were important contradictions in the material evidence.
3. There was a violation of the presumption of innocence due to outside statements and action that had supported a conviction.
4. The final sentence was clearly disproportionate to severity of the alleged offences.
5. The disproportionate prison sentence holds the elected mayor hostage and retains the defeated candidate in the mayor’s office, despite a clear judicial ruling issued months earlier that had ordered his immediate removal.
6. The selective implementation of court decisions and the taking of court rulings for granted is not compatible with the rule of law.
7. The affair is not a bilateral issue but a rule of law issue that, as part of the Community acquis, constitutes a clear condition for the progress of EU accession talks.

The sources stressed that the Greek government is monitoring the affair closely and expect a genuinely unbiased judgement at the appellate level.

Source: ANA – MPA

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