The elected mayor of Heimarra, Fredis Beleris, made the complaint that the key prosecution witness against him admitted that he was financed by the Albanian police.speaking to the television station OPEN, from the prisons of Durres, where he is being held on remand.

“The case is a set-up political case, guided by one hand, it seems”he says initially. “The admission of both the witness and the police director that the witness was bribed, in any democratic country would mean the end of the court case. The most shocking fact that came out of the hearing is that the prosecution did not know about the payment that the police had given.”he said.

Fredis Beleris also commented on the request of the key witness to be examined behind closed doors. “It was another illegality on the part of the headquarters, which is not foreseen by the procedure. They did him this favor. He falsely claimed that his life was threatened. The prosecution did him a favor, so that he wouldn’t be pressured by the public to testify behind closed doors.”

The elected Mayor of Heimarra also commented on it delay in ruling by the Supreme Court on his request for special leave to take the oath. “This trend shows that we are talking about anything but independent justice. The fact that they do not give me permission and keep me as a pre-trial detention is aimed at not taking up the duties”.

Fredis Beleris also sends his own message to the people of Heimarra who elected him Mayor. “It’s another battle we have to fight together. I ask them to be patient, justice always wins!”.

The same time, the issue of pre-trial detention of the elected mayor of Heimarra, Fredis Beleris, is raised by the European Commissionin the progress report on Albania, underlining that his pre-trial detention “raises serious concerns” and that it has caused bilateral tensions with Greece.

In an audio document, which we presented, the testimony of the main prosecution witness who, when asked by Beleris’s lawyer, whether he received a fee, answers in the affirmative. “Yes, I received a reward for this work from the state police” he admits.