Atanasovski on the "State Lottery" case: Accusations against Grubi a message for DUI leader Ali Ahmeti

Political analyst Blagojce Atanasovski commented on the involvement of former Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, in the "state lottery" affair, emphasizing that judicial authorities must operate objectively without political influence. Atanasovski believes the accusations against Grubi also serve as a direct message to DUI leader Ali Ahmeti.

"The initiation of proceedings against former Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi in the case of a possible crime in the State Lottery, just days after being put on the American blacklist along with appellate judge Enver Begeti, is absolutely indicative. This can be interpreted as a political message to the very leader of DUI, Ahmeti, from the high American administration," said Atanasovski.

Regarding the potential involvement in the "state lottery" affair, he thinks that the prosecution and judicial authorities should prove the guilt of Grubi and other possible participants in a transparent procedure free from political and party pressures. He insists that no one should be prosecuted on a political basis and that the judiciary should be founded on an objective approach.

"Anyone who has erred before the law, whether a former or current Deputy Prime Minister, regardless of being from DUI, SDSM, VMRO DPMNE, Vlen, or another political party, should be held accountable under positive legal norms and regulations," he points out.

Asked if anyone from the political leadership of North Macedonia is currently protecting Artan Grubi, the analyst states that this question also needs clarification.

He reminded that Grubi has announced that he is on a private visit to Kosovo, but on the other hand, there is speculation in the media that he has crossed into another territory illegally and was not supposed to leave the country as he is suspected of being involved in a criminal offense. "There were even speculations that he passed with an Albanian passport. We have to wait to see if what he wrote on social media and published is true, whether the private visit is a reality, and whether Artan Grubi will return to Macedonia or if this will be some kind of classic flight from justice. The question arises, isn't this conditionally agreed between all political actors and the judicial system in Macedonia, something very similar to the conditional escape of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, which is suspected to have been organized by all political actors, government, opposition, and judicial authorities in Macedonia," he stated.

The fact that Grubi is in Kosovo indicates that he is indeed implicated in the actions charged against him or does not trust the independence of the judicial authorities.

Simply being on the American blacklist directly suggests that Grubi had political influence on judicial decisions in Macedonia, knowing how much influence the party and political centers have on the judiciary, the analyst believes.

Atanasovski assumes that Grubi probably does not want to end up in prison and has fled to Kosovo to avoid punishment. Speculations have emerged, he adds, that Grubi has already appointed his lawyer to defend him, who stated in court that Artan Grubi will return to North Macedonia only if he receives a lighter sentence.

"This is, conditionally speaking, bargaining with Macedonian judiciary or justice in this country. To reiterate, I've said that anyone who has broken the law must answer. We are a country that proudly states that it is a NATO member or should become an EU member and has positive legal norms and procedures in all system institutions, especially in judicial and prosecutorial bodies. I believe that the same rules should absolutely apply to Artan Grubi and every citizen, meaning no individuals should be privileged in terms of possible justice for crimes," concludes Atanasovski.

The analyst observes that although Grubi is on the run, this is not a unique case of a disrupted system and someone illegally leaving the country.

"I absolutely believe that the system in the Ministry of Internal Affairs is disrupted, not only in this case but also in the case of the escape of many former officials from the Security and Counterintelligence Administration who have been implicated, and if you want, even former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. The question is, by whom? By structures directly employed in the party, namely structures that did not professionally and independently perform the work for which they were paid," Atanasovski concluded.