State Secretary for Belery: The conviction increases concerns about the objectivity of the procedure

“Today’s conviction of an Albanian court against elected mayor Freddy Beleri increases concerns expressed about the objectivity of the process,” points out in a statement in continuing his announcement of elected Mayor of Himarras Freddy Beleri, the Foreign Ministry says this is “due to a shock of the presumption of innocence due to statements and actions advocating conviction and given that the final penalty is apparently disproportionate in relation to the extent of the alleged offence.” It also stresses that the count of the sentence, so as not to be released, prevents the elected mayor from taking up his duties, even today, and retains in the mayorship the defeated candidate, despite the explicit pre-month judgment that imposed his immediate removal. In conclusion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the selective application of judicial decisions and the pre-emption of judicial judgments is inconsistent with the principles of the rule of law and that the Greek government will closely monitor the case and anticipates a fair and objective judgment in the second degree of jurisdiction.