Skopje, 16 December 2024 (MIA) - A public prosecutor of the Skopje Prosecutor's Office ordered Monday an investigation against two persons suspected of committing crime Misappropriation in Office, while four others are investigated over crime Abuse of Office.

The Public Prosecutor's Office said locations in Skopje and Kumanovo were searched and evidence was collected early today. The two individuals, in the capacity of officials in the State Lottery, took part in actions with the intention of unlawfully acquiring assets estimated at about Mden 500 million (EUR 8.1 million) from the company's budget.

According to the PPO, the prime suspect committed the crime in the capacity of State Lottery director general, whereas the second one took actions as chairperson of a Government session held in the capacity of State Lottery assembly.

The four other individuals were chair and members of a commission on two separate public calls, and are suspected of abusing their office in carrying out the calls despite being aware that the procedure could not go through because the legal requirements had not been met.

This morning, the police searched the homes of former deputy prime minister Artan Grubi and former State Lottery director Prparim Bajrami, but neither of them were found in their homes.

Ex-deputy prime minister Grubi, who was recently “blacklisted” by the U.S. Department of State, posted on Facebook late Sunday that he was on a private visit out of the country.  

"I travelled for a private visit today. Please do not make things up and speculate. I have been travelling regularly with my travel documents and my personal police detail has been notified of this," Grubi said in his post.

On December 9, the U.S. Department of State designated former deputy prime minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, and Enver Bexheti, Court of Appeals judge, for their involvement in significant corruption. According to the press release, Grubi and Bexheti had accepted bribes to undermine judicial processes tied to the criminal conviction of Sasho Mijalkov, director of North Macedonia’s Administration for Security and Counterintelligence (UBK).

MIA file photo