Former Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, is suspected of being in Albania, according to local media. Grubi is on international wanted list, as he has been ordered to be arrested and imprisoned after being declared persona non grata by the US.
North Macedonian media reports that businessman and Honorary Consul of Kosovo in North Macedonia, Arsim Paparniku, has told police that he drove Grubi to Tirana. After being sentenced to prison, Grubi left North Macedonia in a vehicle with diplomatic plates driven by businessman Paparniku.
The latter stated to the police that on December 15, he drove former Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi to Tirana, where they drank coffee and dropped him off at a hotel near the 'Air Albania' stadium.
But some members of the government and some institutions also have unofficial information that Grubi is staying near Durrës. More precisely, it is about the tourist village of Hamallaj on the coast.
Even the First Deputy Prime Minister, Izet Mexhiti, claims that Grubi is in Albania, he has underlined.
"According to information, he is not in Kosovo, he is in Albania. But this does not matter, since he proved his guilt and therefore fled the country. I think that today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow he will one day face justice ," Mexhiti stressed.
Grubi was declared wanted after, according to the prosecution, he illegally ordered the granting of licenses to several gambling and casino companies and was involved, together with the former director of the Lottery, Përparim Bajrami, in the manipulated procurement of equipment for the Lottery. The damage caused to the state budget is over 8 million euros.
Artan Grubi was declared persona non grata by the US on December 9, 2024. The State Department announcement stated that Grubi was involved in major corruption by accepting bribes to undermine judicial processes related to the criminal conviction of Sasho Mijalkov, the former director of the secret service.