Macedonia’s interior ministry has decided not to approve the request from opposition leader and ex-prime minister Nikola Gruevski for at least 20 more bodyguards. Gruevski says he fears for his life.
Gruevski, leader of the biggest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, is the first former prime minister to ask to be assigned additional bodyguards by the state police. There is speculation that Gruevski's fears may stem from his alleged connections to criminal structures, as revealed by the investigations launched by the Special Prosecutor's Office (SPO), an institution tasked with probing high-level crime.
Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski said on September 12 that Gruevski has six bodyguards, which is enough to provide security for the ex-PM and his family, according to the ministry’s statement.
“Assessments showed that Gruevski's life is not threatened so there is no need the number of his bodyguards to be increased,” Spasovski said.
Gruevski was prime minister from August 2006 to January 2016.
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