Skopje, 18 December 2024 (MIA) - The honorary consul of Kosovo in North Macedonia, Arsim Papraniku, is currently being interrogated by the police in a station in Skopje, according to media reports.

According to the reports, Papraniku is being interrogated in relation to former Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi’s departure from the country for Kosovo.

In an interview for TV21 on Monday evening, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Grubi, who was accompanied by a businessman, left the country for Kosovo in a diplomatic vehicle.

“Based on my information, the former head of State Lottery has been out of the country for quite a while. While the former deputy prime minister left Macedonia and headed to our northern neighbor, Kosovo, on Sunday, alongside a businessman in a vehicle with diplomatic license plates,” Mickoski said.

On Sunday, in a post on his Facebook profile Grubi wrote that he is on a private visit to Kosovo and that his personal police detail has been notified.

"I travelled for a private visit today. Please do not make things up and speculate. I have been travelling regularly with my travel documents and my personal police detail has been notified of this," Grubi said in his post.

Grubi and the former head of State Lottery, Perparim Bajrami, who are being suspected for the misappropriation of EUR 8 million from the State Lottery, are currently not available to law enforcement.  

On Tuesday, the Skopje-based Criminal Court ordered 30-day detainment for Grubi and Bajrami, while on Wednesday the Interior Ministry officially issued international arrest warrants for the two suspects. 

Photo: MIA Archive