Macedonia’s Gruevski Fled via Albania and Montenegro, Police Confirm
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| Macedonia’s former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. Photo: EPA/Gerogi Licovski |
Albania police confirmed on Thursday evening that Macedonia’s former Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, travelled through Albania to Montenegro on November 11 via the Hani I Hotit/Bozaj border crossing.
He travelled as a passenger in a car owned by the Hungarian embassy in Albania, according to the police announcement.
“[Macedonian] citizen Nikola Gruevski exited Albania territory on 11 November, 2018, at 19:11, from Hani i Hotit on the Montenegro border as a passenger in a car with the number plate CD1013A, owned by Embassy of Hungary in Albania,” police said in a press release.
They added that at the time of passage, Interpol had not yet issued a warrant for his arrest so he was not technically a wanted person.
“Interpol Skopje had notified Interpol Tirana on 13 November that this citizen [Gruevski] was [wanted] under an international arrest warrant,” it added.
Gruevski went on the run last week, when he failed to show up to start serving his two-year jail sentence for the illicit purchase of a luxury limousine.
He surfaced in Hungary on Tuesday, where he has requested political asylum from authorities.
Meanwhile, Macedonia filed a formal extradition request on Thursday for the runaway former prime minister.
Read more:
Macedonia Expects Hungary to Extradite Gruevski
