Hungarian Court Refuses to Extradite Former Macedonian Prime Minister Gruevski

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2019) A court in Hungary refused on Thursday to satisfy the demand of North Macedonia to extradite its fugitive former prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, wanted at home on charges of corruption and abuse of power.

Gruevski, who was sentenced to two years in prison in Macedonia and fled the country, said in November that he had been granted political asylum in Hungary.

"The court has considered the extradition request and decided to reject it," Gruevski posted on his Facebook.

Last year, Gruevski, who served as Macedonian prime minister from 2006 until 2016 and is also the former head of the largest opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, was convicted of official misconduct by purchasing a luxury vehicle at an estimated cost of over 500,000 Euros ($569,700). Gruevski had to start serving his prison term immediately after Macedonia's Criminal Court rejected appeals to postpone his two-year jail sentence. However, Gruevski escaped the punishment by fleeing the country.�