Former North Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi Arrested at Kosovo Border

Former First Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Artan Grubi, was arrested on February 23, 2026, at the Blace border crossing between North Macedonia and Kosovo, after voluntarily surrendering to authorities as reported by Reporteri.net. He had been subject to an arrest warrant for over a year.

Allegations of Embezzlement

Grubi and former State Lottery director Perparim Bajrami are under investigation for the alleged embezzlement of 8.2 million euros from the State Lottery of North Macedonia according to Sloboden Pecat. The investigation centers around the ordering of VLT devices and the suspected misuse of state funds.

Timeline of Events

• December 2024: An international arrest warrant was issued for Grubi and Bajrami as reported by Sloboden Pecat. Grubi had already left North Macedonia for Kosovo.
• Late 2024: The U.S. State Department added Grubi to a list of individuals involved in corruption as reported by Gazeta Tema.
• February 23, 2026: Grubi voluntarily presented himself at the Blace border crossing and was taken into custody as reported by Reporteri.net and according to Voxnews.

Political Background

Artan Grubi served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Political System and Inter-Community Relations of North Macedonia from 2020 to June 2024, representing the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) party. He is known for his statement, “Learn Albanian! Albanian is the language of the future,” addressed to members of the European integration committee in the North Macedonian parliament.

Investigation Details

The investigation into abuses at the “State Lottery” JSC involved eight individuals, including a former prime minister and a former deputy prime minister as reported by Voxnews.