English
Former Deputy Prime Minister in the DUI – SDSM Government Artan Grubi was arrested this morning at the Blace border crossing with Kosovo. Grubi fled the country a year ago, as he faced charges about massive corruption in the running of the State Lottery. He surrendered peacefully to the border guards this morning, and was filmed being handcuffed.
The one-time nationalist football group leader and protest activist was named First Deputy Prime Minister by Zaev and in this position he led the increasingly powerful Ministry for Political Systems, that was used as a private office by the DUI party, as well as negotiating the massive highway contract with Bechtel. He is charged with ordering procurements and suspicious contracts in the State Lottery worth 8 million EUR. Grubi was driven into Kosovo in December 2024 by a major local businessman and was assumed to be hiding in Kosovo or Albania since. He did not contact the public from his exile. The United States put him on a black list shortly before he fled the country, citing his corruption and undermining of judicial processes.
Before he became the most trusted confidant of DUI party leader Ali Ahmeti, Grubi worked in the Dutch Embassy in Skopje. He was known for the nationalist antics of an Albanian football group from Skopje that he led, which included a massive fight to prevent the reconstruction of a medieval church on the grounds of the Skopje fortress, attack on a statue of a Serbian king in Skopje and demolishing the Macedonian National Theater.
After the arrest, Grubi was carried into the Shuto Orizari prison. He informed the prison management that he has reason to fear some of the prisoners there, and was put in a cell with a select prisoner. He has a 30 days detention order against him.