VREDI and DUI clash over Artan Grubi as house‑arrest deadline nears

Two parties from the Albanian political block have publicly clashed over the handling of the investigation into former deputy prime minister Artan Grubi as the deadline for his house arrest approaches on August 22.

Public demands, legal deadlines and possible measures

VREDI urged the Prosecutor's Office to explain why an indictment has not yet been filed in the so-called "Lottery" case and warned that the six-month house-arrest period is passing; if no charges are submitted by August 22, Grubi would be released from house arrest. VREDI said the public deserves clarity about whether the prosecution has acted on findings from U.S. authorities.

VREDI spokespersons framed their demand sharply: "VREDI is asking the Prosecutor's Office to stop playing hide-and-seek with justice and publicly say why there is still no indictment in the 'Lottery' case, where proceedings have stalled and whether anything has been undertaken regarding the findings of American authorities. In the meantime, the question about the allegations that led Grubi to be placed on the American blacklist becomes pressing, and the public rightly asks whether the Prosecutor's Office is acting at all. Our strategic partner, the United States, put Grubi on the blacklist due to high-level corruption."

DUI responded that publicly calling on the prosecution in that way constitutes political pressure on judicial institutions. The party said prosecutors and courts must decide strictly on the basis of law and evidence, not under demands from political parties.

DUI stated: "The Prosecutor's Office and the courts must decide based on evidence, not on political and party directives. Selective partisan justice is not needed by citizens or by North Macedonia."

The Prosecutor's Office has already said the procedure is ongoing and that the responsible prosecutor will make decisions in accordance with prescribed legal rules and norms, with all statutory deadlines respected. Legal experts note, however, that the August 22 deadline applies only to the house-arrest measure; other preventive measures can be ordered that allow the procedure to continue.

Officials at the Basic Criminal Court Skopje explained that if no indictment is filed, the house arrest will be lifted and the court will, ex officio, decide on another measure to ensure the suspect's presence — such as confiscation of a travel document — and that detention could be reimposed if the prosecutor requests it and the court approves.

Grubi is suspected of embezzlement of €8.2 million from the State Lottery. After several hours in detention he said he did not feel safe in Shutka prison; prosecutors, operatives from the Agency for National Security (ANB), officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the pretrial judge immediately removed him from custody and proposed house arrest as a measure.

On November 24, 2025, then State Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevsky said that the evidence against Grubi had been gathered and that only his extradition from Kosovo was awaited. In this case another suspect is Prparim Bajrami, chairman of the Board and general manager of the State Lottery, who remains at large. Artan Grubi surrendered at the Blace border crossing on February 23, 2026 after having been in Kosovo; at that crossing travel was possible with an ID card only.

Photo: press material from the event