FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
'Anatomy of a Kafkaesque drama', this is how the Greek newspaper titles the justice saga of Fredi Beleri, who has been in prison for nine months.
For the last nine months, 'Kathimerini' writes that this issue has attracted the attention of Athens, which is in the vortex of the judicial odyssey of Fredi Beleri, the elected mayor of the city of Himara.
If Beleri is convicted, the newspaper emphasizes that this will be interpreted as a sign of Greece's weakness towards Tirana and the Greek ethnic minority.
Excerpt from Kathimerini's article:
Rama's pre-election bomb
The persecution of Fredi Beleri was set in motion after the visit of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Himare on May 6, 2023. He understood that his Socialist Party candidate would be defeated in the local elections on May 14 - as was the case - and even went as far. in a very aggressive and inciting speech to say that he would "deal" with Beleri "personally". This is exactly what he went on to target the president of the Omonoia Party of Himara, who on December 22, 2022 had organized the historic visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mistotakis to the city, where he happily introduced him to a rally.
Oversight
From the case files it appears that two teams kept Beler under surveillance 24 hours a day. Telephones, shops and places where Omonoia officials gathered, as well as party offices, were also closely monitored. It seems that some supporters have also been put under surveillance, despite the fact that there was no such order from the prosecutor of Vlora. The most important piece of evidence about the surveillance operation is that it began before the warrant was issued — specific times are not mentioned in court transcripts — while the record was tampered with so the dates could match.
Arrest and 'criminal proceedings'
Beleri was arrested on Friday, May 12, two days before the elections, while leaving a restaurant in the center of Himara. The location was 2 kilometers away from the cafe where the votes were bought and it was not even the day when it is suspected that it happened. As news of his arrest spread, a crowd gathered outside the Himara police station, including Beler's close associate Pantelis Kokavesis, who was also arrested. Rama, the Vlora court and then the special anti-corruption court, SPAK, presented these arrests as having been carried out in the place where the suspects were caught in the act.
After their arrest, Beleri and Kokavesis were transferred to Vlora, where the city prosecutor just "discovered" that Beleri had a criminal record, which meant that he had been convicted in the past.
45 euros per vote
Beleri akuzohet se ka paguar 360 euro për të blerë tetë vota, pra 45 euro për votë. Arsen Rama me sa duket kishte një listë me emrat e atyre tetë votuesve, megjithëse kjo nuk iu tregua as Belerit apo askujt në ekipin e politikanit greko-shqiptar. Më tej, lista, siç u zbulua më vonë, përmban emrat e personave që janë të afërm të Arsen Ramës, si dhe të tjerë që dëshmuan nën betim se nuk dinin asgjë për këtë aferë.
Thirrjet dhe paratë
Sipas “provave” në dosje, si dhe sipas asaj që u lexua në gjykatë nga prokurorët e SPAK-ut, Dorina Bejko dhe Adnan Xholi, mes Arsen Ramës dhe Belerit kanë ndodhur 30 telefonata, ku shumica kanë mbetur pa përgjigje. Ka fotografi të Belerit duke pirë kafe, ku ai flet me anëtarët e stafit dhe një ku pretendohej rrejshëm nga prokurori se po fliste me Arsen Ramën. Më pas u vërtetua se personi tjetër në fotografi është Thoma Bogdani, i cili madje dëshmoi për këtë fakt. “Dëshmia” e dorëzuar në gjykatë përfshin gjithashtu mesazhe nga WhatsApp që tregojnë stafin dhe miqtë e Belerit që kërkojnë vullnetarë të fushatës dhe i urojnë njëri-tjetrit zgjedhje të suksesshme. Arsen Rama nuk mundi të paraqiste paratë që më vonë pretendoi se kishte marrë nga Kokavesis apo ndonjë dëshmi të ndryshimit të parave kur u pyetën nga avokatët e Belerit.
Rrëfimi i një agjenti me pagesë
Dëshmitarët e prokurorisë të thirrur nga prokurorët e SPAK ishin Arsen Rama dhe vëllai i tij Abdul, shefi i policisë Ermal Hajdini, dy banorë të fshatit Dhërmi që ishin në listën e Arsen Ramës dhe dy banorë të Himarës që dyshohet se u ishin premtuar letra greke në këmbim të votën e tyre, sipas hetimeve të prokurorisë.
Zbulimi më i madh në atë seancë ishte pranimi i tij për t'u paguar për bashkëpunimin e tij me paratë e marra nga një fond llucë policie. Kreu i opozitës shqiptare, ish kryeministri Sali Berisha, është shprehur edhe më herët kundër kësaj praktike, e cila kështu u bë publike dhe doli në gjykatë. Vlen të theksohet se edhe prokurorët e SPAK nuk dinin asgjë për pagimin e dëshmitarit. Gjyqi vazhdoi megjithatë!
Dëshmitari i dytë, Hajdini, jo vetëm konfirmoi sa më sipër, por pranoi edhe se i kishte dhënë udhëzime Arsen Ramës, si dhe konfirmoi se informatori kishte një histori të mëparshme kriminale. Këta ishin dy dëshmitarët e vetëm që dëshmuan për prokurorinë – dhe të dy kishin një motiv monetar.
Betimi i prishur
One day after the municipal elections of May 14, 2023, Edi Rama accepted the defeat of his party in Himarë and the Electoral Court confirmed the victory of Beleri a few days later. The issue of his oath has been discussed repeatedly since then. His side initially sought an administrative decision to grant him a short leave so the ceremony could take place. The director of the prison refused the request. There is precedent, however, as similar permission has been granted to imprisoned lawmakers to take their oath of office or to vote on certain pieces of legislation. Some prisoners were even given permission to vote in the May 14 elections.
Awaiting the decision
We are now close to the end of the trial and await the decision. Beleri has already spent nine months in prison. He was not allowed to take the oath. He has shown no mercy. Repeated complaints from Greece have been ignored. Athens' interventions at the level of the European Union have been underestimated. They pay no attention to the consequences they may face under Rama's regime.
If convicted, each day in custody counts as a day and a half, meaning that after the trial ends, Beler will have spent 15 months in prison. In other recent convictions for similar crimes – and where the evidence against the defendants was overwhelming and they pleaded guilty – none were sentenced to more than a year and none were held in custody. All the conditions presented by the Greek government for the Albanian prime minister have been rejected. If Beleri is convicted, it will be interpreted as a sign of Greece's weakness towards Tirana and the Greek ethnic minority.
If this is confirmed, it will indeed be a sign of Greece's failure to exert political influence. It will be an Albanian tragedy, but with Greek protagonists.
Mobilization of the Greek ethnic minority
A large number of ethnic Greeks demonstrated in the southern Albanian city of Himara in August 2023, demanding the immediate release of elected mayor Fredi Beleri. The rally was organized by Omonoia, an organization representing the ethnic Greek community. Organizers had hoped the event would mobilize the international community to demand his release. All this time, the community has rallied around the mayor-elect whenever there is a hearing on the matter. The biggest revelation at the trial was the admission by the prosecution's key witness that he had been paid for his cooperation with money taken from a police fund. Even SPAK prosecutors knew nothing about paying the witness.
Lini një Përgjigje