Albanian Premier Edi Rama’s Deputy Erion Braçe has defended the Socialist Party Mayor of Mallakastra Qerim Ismailaj who has been accused of hiding a prison sentence during his stay in Greece.

The Democratic Party said Ismailaj had been convicted in the neighboring country and did not declare his record in the decriminalization form, for which he must be discharged by the Central Electoral Commission (KQZ).

However, instead of apologizing to the Albanian citizens for choosing candidates with criminal records, the Socialist Party and the government have defended him. Deputy Prime Minister Braçe wrote Ismailaj was trialed and convicted in absence and unbeknownst to him only because he asked to be paid from his Greek employer for the job done.

“Now put yourselves in the skin of a construction worker in Greece that is bone-tired at work and is denied his money, just breathe twice and remember your familiars that suffered the same thing in the islands down there”, Braçe wrote.