Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Artan Grubi, is declared internationally wanted

2024-12-18 10:57:14Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Artan Grubi, is
Artan Grubi

Prosecutors have requested international arrest warrants for former Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, and former director of the State Lottery, Përparim Bajrami, who are being investigated in a case of embezzlement of illegal assets.

The prosecutors' request comes after the Skopje Basic Court ordered 30 days of detention for Grubi and Bajram.

Prosecutors believe that Grubi and Bajrami are "elusive to the authorities" in connection with the investigations in question, as they are believed to have fled the country.

The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Skopje said in a statement that it will request the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia to publish national arrest warrants and a statement on the issuance of international arrest warrants for Grubi and Bajram.

According to the Prosecution, Grubi, as the second suspect in this case, is accused of facilitating an illegal procedure for the supply of terminals (VLT), despite the knowledge that the State Lottery did not have the right to independently organize electronic games of chance within the territory of North Macedonia.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, the damage caused to the State Lottery is worth around 8.2 million euros.

Grubi and Bajrami face prison sentences of up to five years if found guilty.

Police raided Grubi and Bajrami's homes days ago, however they were not found at home at the time.

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, said days ago that Grubi, together with a businessman, left North Macedonia for Kosovo on December 15, in a car with diplomatic plates, and for Eid, he said that "he has been outside the territory of North Macedonia for a long time."

Grubi, who was recently added to the US corruption watch list, has denied that he has fled the country, saying he is abroad "on a private visit."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) announced on Tuesday afternoon that on December 13, criminal charges were filed against six other people, suspected of the crimes of “abuse of official position and authority”, “bribery”, and “abuse of the procedure for public calls, allocation of public procurement agreements or public-private partnership”, in connection with the North Macedonian State Lottery case.

Among the suspects are former Prime Minister and former leader of the Social Democratic League of Macedonia (LSDM), Dimitar Kovachevski, as well as former Secretary General of the Government, Metodija Dimovski, who are accused of "abuse of official position and authority."


Video