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North Macedonia State Lottery corruption case

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2026-09-18 07:11 UTC → 2026-09-18 15:45 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Perparim Bajrami, the former director of the State Lottery of North Macedonia, surrendered at the Blace border crossing on September 9, 2026, after being a fugitive for approximately 21 months. Bajrami had been the subject of an international arrest warrant issued in December 2024. Bajrami is the primary accused in a corruption case involving the State Lottery, alongside former First Deputy Prime Minister Artan ~~Grubi~~ Grubi, former Government Secretary General Metodija Dimovski, and ~~several other individuals.~~ five former members of the company’s supervisory board. The prosecution alleges that between 2023 and 2024, the defendants abused their official positions regarding the procurement of video lottery terminals and the ~~introduction~~ unauthorized independent organization of electronic gambling games. These actions reportedly caused damages to the State Lottery estimated at approximately 596 million denars. The corruption trial officially commenced at the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje on September 18, 2026. ~~The indictment claims~~ During the initial proceedings, Bajrami and most other defendants ~~exceeded their powers concerning the independent organization of electronic games of chance, noting that~~ pleaded not guilty to the ~~State Lottery allegedly lacked~~ charges. The court has scheduled the ~~authority~~ evidentiary phase to ~~organize these games independently.~~ begin on September 23, which will involve the prosecution reading and explaining material evidence.

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