Albanian mayor from Greek minority is imprisoned for vote buying. That’s likely to anger Greece

By LLAZAR SEMINI
Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An Albanian court has imprisoned a mayor from the country’s Greek minority on vote-buying charges. Tuesday’s ruling is expected to raise tensions with neighboring Greece, which has said the case could negatively impact Albania’s application to join the European Union. Albania is a candidate member negotiating full membership. The Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime gave Dhionisios Alfred Beleri a two-year sentence. Relations between Greece and post-communist Albania have been uneasy at times, largely over issues of minority rights and the sizable Albanian community in Greece.