Skopje, 24 February 2026 (MIA) - Justice Minister Igor Filkov on Tuesday called out all those involved in the house arrest order against former deputy prime minister Artan Grubi, pointing out that responsibility for such a decision must be clearly identified by name and surname. He called on the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors to convene urgent sessions, look into this case and determine if there are grounds for holding the judge and the public prosecutor liable. He added that institutional control must function effectively and no one must be exempt from responsibility.

Minister Filkov noted that it is a matter of a person suspected of misappropriating over EUR 8 million, who has been evading law enforcement for 14 months, and who has been determined to pose a flight risk, which has in fact come true.

"The Ministry of Justice will not be a silent witness when trust in the legal system is shaken. The Ministry of Justice will not stand aside when the public rightly demands answers. So far, as Minister of Justice, respecting the principle of separation of powers, I have never commented on specific judicial and prosecutorial decisions. That is a principle. That is the foundation of the rule of law. But today we are witnesses to a scandal that must not and should not be kept silent. This is a person suspected of misappropriating over EUR 8 million. A person who has been evading law enforcement for 14 months. A person  who has been determined to pose a flight risk, a risk that came true. And in less than a day, the measure is replaced with house arrest. This is not just a procedural decision. This is a test for the entire system," Filkov told a press conference on Tuesday.

He sought clarification from public prosecutor Daniel Kocev, the head of the Skopje Prosecutor's Office Anel Fidoski, and the pre-trial judge at the Skopje-based Criminal Court Marin Stanevski.

"I publicly call on all actors in the procedure to give an explanation. I call on public prosecutor Daniel Kocev to explain on the basis of which specific facts and legal arguments a positive opinion was given for replacing the detention. Does the head of the Prosecutor's Office, Anel Fidoski, stand behind this decision and does he consider this to be a message for equal application of the law? I call on the pre-trial judge at the Skopje-based Criminal Court, Marin Stanevski, to clarify what circumstances have outweighed the flight risk for a person who had been evading law enforcement for 14 months. When an investigation into embezzlement of over EUR 8 million is in question, also involving a flight risk - which in fact happened - any decision to ease the measure must be crystal clear and legally indisputable. Otherwise, serious doubts about selectivity arise," the Minister said.

He stressed that detention cannot be automatically imposed on an ordinary citizen, while considered exception for former top officials.

"Security "indications" cannot override the principle of equality before the law. If there is a threat - the state has mechanisms to ensure security even within the detention system. If an ordinary citizen can remain in detention for a much smaller amount and without previously evading law enforcement, then those standards must apply to everyone," Filkov said.

The Minister called on the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors to convene urgent sessions, look into this case and determine if there are grounds for holding the judge and the public prosecutor liable. He added that institutional control must function effectively and no one must be exempt from responsibility.

He added that this morning he sought explanation from the Skopje Prison director and was informed through the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions that all conditions for implementing the detention measure in the competent institution were provided on Monday.

"It is unacceptable to claim that the safety of a detained person cannot be guaranteed, and then this becomes an argument for a more lenient measure. As Minister of Justice, I will also seek extraordinary supervision in the Skopje Prison, as well as in other prisons in Macedonia, regarding the security situation. And let me state something that citizens have long felt: It is meaningless to pass laws if they are not implemented. It is meaningless to change regulations if they are applied selectively. It is meaningless to talk about reforms if practice destroys trust. This is not a matter of politics. This is a matter of principle. And I will never keep silent when the principle of equality before the law is called into question," Minister Filkov said. 

In response to a reporter's question on whether he should address this question to a different place, after the Prosecutor's Office said that assessments of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) played a key role in determining the house arrest order, he pointed out that he was publicly addressing the question to everyone.

"I am publicly addressing it to everyone," Filkov said, adding that he was not shifting responsibility to anyone, but was merely stating the situation and articulating it very loudly.

Asked whether there was conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior, Filkov said he does not see where there would be conflict.

Former deputy prime minister Artan Grubi was placed under 30-day house arrest on Monday, following a decision by a pre-trial judge at the Skopje-based Criminal Court. He is suspected of misappropriating around EUR 8 million from the State Lottery together with ex-head of the State Lottery Perparim Bajrami. Grubi was detained at the Blace border crossing early on Monday. 

Photo: MIA