Former deputy prime minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, has reportedly fled to Kosovo following allegations of embezzlement, local media reported.

Grubi, a senior figure in the now opposition ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) party led by Ali Ahmeti, served as the first deputy prime minister in the Social Democrat-led government from 2020 to 2024. He was recently blacklisted by the US State Department for alleged involvement in significant corruption.

The Skopje Prosecutor's Office had requested detention for Grubi and Perparim Bajrami, the former general director of the State Lottery, in connection with a major corruption case.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski revealed in a TV21 interview on December 16 that Grubi left the country a day earlier in a diplomatic vehicle accompanied by another individual.

The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje said on December 16 that it launched an investigation into financial misconduct within the State Lottery, implicating Grubi, Bajrami and four others.

The case involves the illegal procurement of video lottery terminals (VLTs) worth MKD501mn (€8mn), despite legal restrictions prohibiting the State Lottery from independently organising electronic games of chance.

Authorities allege that Bajrami initiated the procurement by misleading the government in May 2023. The proposal, despite its illegality, was approved at a government session chaired by Grubi. The VLTs were purchased but never used, causing substantial financial harm to the State Lottery.

The Prosecutor’s Office is seeking detention for Grubi and Bajrami, along with precautionary measures for the other suspects.

Four additional suspects, members of a commission managing gaming rights contracts, are accused of approving agreements with unqualified bidders, violating public procurement laws and compounding financial losses.

Investigations into related allegations are ongoing.

The Ministry of Interior’s criminal complaint against former prime minister Dimitar Kovacevski and former government secretary general Metodija Dimovski remains under investigation, according to the Prosecutor's Office, Sitel reported.

Officials clarified that the allegations against Kovacevski and Dimovski pertain to a different time period and unrelated actions, indicating they are not part of the current State Lottery investigation.