Albania’s supreme court leaves ethnic Greek ex-mayor in prison

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Supreme Court has upheld a verdict of the lower courts keeping a former elected mayor from the country’s Greek minority in prison after he was convicted of buying votes. A Supreme Court statement on Friday said that it upheld the verdicts of the first instance court and the appeals court which had sentenced Freddie Beleris to two years in prison. Beleris, who has dual citizenship, also won a Greek seat in the European Parliament, in EU elections last month. Beleris’ office in Athens says he’s been granted five days leave to attend the opening session of Parliament from July 16, but the Albanian prison department says his request for leave is still being considered.