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Trial continues for Artan Grubi in State Lottery case

Updated 18 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-30 10:03 UTC → 2026-10-02 08:31 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The trial of former First Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi and seven others has resumed at the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje. The defendants are accused of abusing their official positions to cause damages to the State Lottery of North Macedonia. While previous estimates placed the damages at approximately 507.6 million denars, the prosecution ~~has alleged that~~ alleges the total damages amount to 596,125,511 denars. The Public Prosecutor's Office continues to present extensive documentation, including government decisions from June 2023, the 2023 State Lottery work program, and investment feasibility assessments. Evidence ~~also~~ includes financial transactions regarding the procurement of video lottery terminals (VLT), banking records from Halkbank, and analytical cards for economic operators such as ‘Eurogames Technology’, ‘Sinot’, and ‘Spedicija MKD’. ~~The prosecution is specifically focusing~~ Recent proceedings have focused on ~~material evidence related to~~ the establishment of a joint venture with a the foreign ~~partner.~~ partner ‘Casinos Austria’. The prosecution presented documents including 2013 agreements for the creation of ‘State Video Lottery of the Republic of Macedonia – Casinos Austria DOO Skopje’, foreign currency orders, bank statements, and invoices. Defense attorneys have challenged the interpretation of these contractual relations and the circumstances surrounding the procurement and use of gaming machines. The group of defendants includes Bashkim Avdi, Metodija Dimovski, Skender Mehmedi, Bojan Janev, ~~Fatmir~~ Fatimir Ramadanovski, and Aleksandar Dimitrioski, alongside Artan Grubi and former State Lottery director Perparim ~~Bajrami, who surrendered to authorities after previously being fugitives.~~ Bajrami. All defendants have entered pleas of not guilty. The case remains under intense political scrutiny, with opposition parties VLEN and Vredi criticizing Ali Ahmeti for his shifting stance on the proceedings. ~~The opposition has characterized public pressure on the judiciary as a “political gamble.”~~

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