Eight former high-ranking officials in North Macedonia, including a former prime minister, are under investigation for suspected financial abuses related to gambling licenses issued to the state lottery company by the previous government.
Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski did not name any of the officials under investigation but told journalists that “among them are a former prime minister, a former deputy prime minister, a former director of a legal entity, and a former secretary-general; the others are public servants working for one of the legal entities involved in this case.”
State television reported that those under investigation include Dimitar Kovachevski, who served as prime minister from 2022 to 2024, and his deputy, Artan Grubi.
The conservative VMRO-DPMNE party now leads the government after a decisive victory in the May general elections.
The investigation into financial losses amounting to around 8.2 million euros was announced on Monday, following police raids at nine different locations over the past few days. None of the implicated officials have been arrested or made any public comments.
