N Macedonia’s fugitive ex-PM convicted of party funds abuse

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — A court in North Macedonia has convicted the country’s fugitive former prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, of using his conservative party’s funds to enrich himself and sentenced him in absentia to seven years in prison. The Criminal Court in the capital of Skopje ruled Thursday that Gruevski unlawfully acquired nearly 1.4 million euros from donations to the VMRO-DPMNE party from 2006 to 2012, part of the time he was in office. Gruevski, who was granted political asylum in Hungary, where he fled after being convicted on separate charges in 2018, denied wrongdoing. Defense lawyers say they will appeal Thursday’s ruling. Three other cases are pending against Gruevski on charges of corruption, election irregularities and abuse of office.