The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Skopje has requested that the former Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, be sent to custody "as soon as he is arrested" as a suspect for embezzlement during his official duties.
She said in a statement that the detention order should be implemented "immediately after the location and arrest" of Grub, who is believed to be out of the country.
On the morning of December 16, the North Macedonian Police said they raided the homes of Grub and the former director of the Lottery, Përparim Bajrami.
As part of the investigations and raids in various locations, including the houses of Grub and Bajram, evidence has been obtained that raises suspicions that the two accused, as responsible persons in the Joint Stock Association, State Lottery, during 2023, caused "damage to the budget of the Association in the amount of over 8 million euros, acquiring property illegally".
Acquiring illegal wealth by an official while on duty is punishable by imprisonment from six months to five years, according to the Criminal Code of North Macedonia.
In addition to Grub e Bajrami, the former Macedonian prime minister, Dimitar Kovacevski, is among the suspects.
"The criminal complaint was submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Skopje... One of whom is a former prime minister, one is a former deputy prime minister, one is a former director of a legal entity, one is a former general secretary, the rest are state employees who they work for one of the legal entities", said the Minister of Internal Affairs, Pançe Toshkovski, during a press conference on Monday.
Grubi and Bajrami were not found in any of the raided houses.
Toshkovski called on Grub to return to the country.
"I would like to believe him when he said that he is as clean as a tear, I even call on him to return to Macedonia (North) if he has not yet returned and enable the institutions to develop the investigative process and prove justice," he said. Toshkovsky.
Previously, Grubi announced that he did not run away, but that he is abroad "for a private visit".
"I traveled with my documents and my personal police insurance is notified. As soon as I fulfill my obligations, I will return home to my family. Please do not slander and speculate," Grubi wrote in a Facebook post.
Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on Monday that Grubi on TV21, that former Deputy Prime Minister Grubi, together with a businessman, left North Macedonia in the direction of Kosovo, in a car with diplomatic license plates, during Sunday.
Grubi, earlier, after being put on the American blacklist, announced his withdrawal from political and public life.
On December 11, the Skopje Prosecutor's Office also announced that it has launched an investigation against Grub, and the judge of the Court of Appeal, Enver Bexheti, in order, as he said, to prove whether they have criminal responsibility, after the US State Department (DASH) accused them that they were "involved in high corruption and have accepted bribes to hinder" the court proceedings related to the conviction of Sasho Mijalkov, former director of the Directorate for Security and Counterintelligence (DSK).
Grubi has denied being involved in corruption./ REL (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
