Former first deputy prime minister of North Macedonia Artan Grubi was arrested on February 23 at the Blace border crossing with Kosovo, ending more than 14 months on the run after being sought over a major corruption case linked to the State Lottery, the police announced.

“At 06.10 am, Artan Grubi (48) was detained at the Blace border crossing while attempting to enter the country,” Interior Ministry said in a Facebook post.

After the arrest, Grubi has been transferred to the detention unit in Skopje prison of Sutka.

However, in the meantime it was reported that the court accepted the proposal of both the public prosecutor and the defence to impose a measure of house arrest for Grubi, along with additional measures to ensure the suspect’s presence.

The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje explained in a statement that the second suspect in the State Lottery case, Grubi, voluntarily reported to authorities and expressed readiness to cooperate.

On these grounds, the prosecution has proposed replacing pre-trial detention with house arrest and the confiscation of travel documents, citing that most evidence has been secured, the suspect voluntarily surrendered, and that there are security concerns in detention, including risks to his family.

Grubi was wanted under an international arrest warrant in connection with a criminal investigation for embezzlement under several articles of the Criminal Code.

Grubi, a senior figure in the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), now in oppoisition, served as first deputy prime minister and minister of political system and inter-community relations in the Social Democrat-led government from 2020 to 2024.

In December 2024, he was placed on the US “black list” for alleged involvement in significant corruption.

The Grubi case centres on the illegal procurement of video lottery terminals (VLTs) worth €8mn. Prosecutors allege that Grubi and former State Lottery director Perparim Bajrami orchestrated the deal despite legal restrictions that prohibit the State Lottery from independently organising electronic games of chance.

According to the previous statement of the public prosecutors, Bajrami initiated the procurement in May 2023 by misleading the government. The proposal was approved at a government session chaired by Grubi, even though it was unlawful. The VLTs were subsequently purchased but never put into use, causing significant financial damage to the State Lottery.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said in December 2024 that Grubi had left the country in a diplomatic vehicle accompanied by another individual. His whereabouts had remained unknown until his arrest.

In addition to Grubi and Bajrami, four other individuals are under investigation for approving contracts with unqualified bidders in breach of public procurement rules.

Grubi’s flight is the second high-profile escape of a government official in North Macedonia in recent years. The first was former prime minister Nikola Gruevski and ex-leader of now ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, who fled to Hungary in 2018 after being sentenced to prison over a corruption case involving the illegal purchase of a luxury vehicle.

Gruevski has not been extradited to North Macedonia and continues to reside in Budapest. Meanwhile, some of the charges he was meant to face have become outdated.

Gruevski’s escape highlighted gaps in the enforcement of judicial decisions against senior officials and raised concerns about the country’s ability to hold powerful figures accountable.

Like Gruevski, Grubi’s departure drew international attention and criticism, including from the US, which had already placed him on a sanctions list.

Grubi’s arrest and the ongoing proceedings are seen as a key test of North Macedonia’s ability to enforce accountability at the highest political level and restore public trust in the rule of law.