Skopje, 10 December 2024 (MIA) – Izet Mexhiti, First Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister, who is part of Worth It, the junior government coalition partner, said Tuesday that the U.S. Department of State’s designation of Artan Grubi is a confirmation of his coalition’s commitments and called on DUI’s leadership to leave, as he said, the sinking ship.

“The decision of the U.S. Department of State to blacklist Artan Grubi and to ban him from entering the United States is yet another proof that we were right. We were right when we fought against corruption. We were right when we demanded DUI deal with the disasters happening within the party. We were right when we revealed DUI’s scenarios to save Sasho Mijalkov and to assist Nikola Gruevski’s return from Budapest to Skopje,” Mexhiti told a news conference.

We, he added, welcome the Department of State’s decision to help the country fight against corruption and the United States has once again demonstrated it is our top strategic partner that always knows to point to us the problems facing our citizens and our country. 

“If [DUI leader] Ali Ahmeti had the strength to cut short Artan Grubi’s path of corruption, of collaboration with Sasho Mijalkov and Nikola Gruevski, DUI perhaps wouldn’t have to go in opposition,” the former DUI official stressed. 

Today, no one believes that Artan Grubi acted on his own to secure the release of Sasho Mijalkov and the return of Nikola Gruevski, Mexhiti said.

“Ali Ahmeti, it’s time you admitted you were wrong. Ali Ahmeti, it’s time you said why Artan Grubi was more important than all of DUI’s sincere members who didn’t want to see the party falling apart due to the criminal interests of individuals close to you,” he stated urging the party’s leadership to step down.

The deputy prime minister called on competent institutions to investigate the allegations and to bring all those who have committed wrongdoing to justice.

“Accountability is the basic principle of every democratic country. Being a responsible government, we will continue to pursue reforms that will strengthen rule of law, eradicate corruption and restore public trust in institutions,” Mexhiti told the news conference. 

Photo: MIA