Nikola Gruevski spotted in Budapest restaurant

Former North Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who is currently under an international arrest warrant, was reportedly photographed at a restaurant in Budapest. The images were shared by former Member of Parliament Ákos Hadházy, who noted that the photos were taken by a Hungarian citizen.

Gruevski, who served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2016, was sentenced to ten years in prison in his absence for crimes including abuse of power, electoral fraud, and participation in a criminal organization. In 2018, he fled to Hungary using Hungarian diplomatic vehicles and was granted political asylum. While North Macedonia has requested his extradition, Hungarian authorities have previously rejected these requests.

Hadházy has called on the new Hungarian government to revoke Gruevski’s political asylum to facilitate his return to North Macedonia and the enforcement of his sentence. Legal expert Tamás Hoffmann noted that while political asylum can be revoked if it is determined that the individual is not facing genuine political persecution, such a move would not automatically lead to extradition without a renewed request from North Macedonia or a valid international warrant.