Grubi Leaves House Arrest but Stays Without a Passport: Court Rejects a €335,707 Guarantee in the “State Lottery” Case
The house arrest of former deputy prime minister Artan Grubi expired due to the legal time limit, so the court imposed three other measures and kept his passport; he denies the charges.
On October 13 the court lifted the house arrest of former deputy prime minister Artan Grubi because the legal time limit could not be extended. In its place, at the prosecutor’s proposal, it imposed three measures: a ban on leaving his residence, a duty to report to the court periodically and a ban on contact with certain persons. His passport remains seized and he may not obtain a new travel document. The court rejected the request to return the passport despite an offered guarantee of property worth €335,707.
Grubi is defending himself from freedom in the “State Lottery” trial, where he is accused of illegally procuring video lottery terminal (VLT) devices, causing budget damage of over €9.7 million. He denies guilt, and the presumption of innocence applies to him. The articles we checked do not say whether others are charged or give dates for the next hearings.
The same night a BAIC service jeep used by Lottery deputy director Ahmet Miftari burned in front of his home in Cair, less than 200 meters from Grubi’s apartment. Miftari reported the fire himself, and police are checking whether it was arson. There is no information linking the fire to the court decision, and Miftari declined to comment.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 14, 2026
