“Data from the Macedonian, Albanian and Montenegrin police now paint a relatively accurate picture of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski’s escape route through the Balkans to Hungary to avoid serving a two-year prison sentence.”
“Albanian police on Thursday said they had no record in the Albanian border system of Gruevski using the two legal border crossings, at Kjafasan/Qafe Thana, and Stenje, raising speculation that he entered Albania illegally.”
“From then on, his route through Albania, Montenegro and Serbia resembles a spy movie, with diplomatic logistics and frequent swapping of cars.”
“Unnamed sources, cited by Deutsche Welle on Thursday, said Gruevski arrived in the Albanian capital, Tirana, on Sunday, and most probably stayed at Hungarian embassy, where he first informed the Hungarian authorities of his intent to seek asylum.”
This was partly confirmed by the chef-de-cabinet of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, who on Thursday said Gruevski first made his intention clear at a Hungarian embassy – although not specifying which one.
An Albanian “police announcement said Gruevski travelled as a passenger in a car owned by the Hungarian embassy in Albania.”
“They added that, at the time of passage, Interpol had not yet issued a warrant for his arrest, so he was not technically a wanted person.”
“In a court case codenamed “Tank”, Gruevski was found guilty of illegally soliciting the secret purchase of a 580,000-euros Mercedes in 2012 from former interior minister Gordana Jankuloska, which he planned to use for his own purposes.”
“He is awaiting trial for four more criminal cases against him while five more criminal investigations in which he is involved are ongoing.”
“Gruevski has insisted that this and other ongoing court cases against him are a political set-up, fixed by the new government led by the Social Democratic Union, SDSM.”
“Gruevski served as prime minister of Macedonia from 2006 to 2016. His right-wing VMRO DPMNE party was ousted in 2017 after a prolonged political crisis in which he and his close associates were accused of imposing authoritarian rule and involvement in corruption.”
Read more: Map: Gruevski’s ‘Great Escape’ Through the Balkans
Related: Macedonia Expects Hungary to Extradite Gruevski
2021-week29
