SKOPJE (North Macedonia), June 27 (SeeNews) – A court in Hungary refused to extradite North Macedonia’s former prime minister Nikola Gruevski to his home country to serve a prison term for abuse of power, local media reported on Thursday.
The court said that under Hungarian law, having been granted refugee status, Gruevski could not be extradited to the country he had fled from, Budapest-based Hungary Today reported.
In November, the European Parliament urgеd Hungary to extradite Gruevski.
Gruevski, convicted to two years in jail for his role in a corruption scheme, said earlier this month he has sought political asylum in Hungary.
Hungary has not helped Gruevski flee North Macedonia, the Hungarian prime minister’s office said in November, denying reports of alleged Hungarian involvement. Gruevski is in Hungary in accordance with the legal provisions concerning asylum procedures, the Hungarian PM’s office noted, adding that the immigration and asylum office is conducting the asylum process in accordance with domestic and international law.
In May 2018, the criminal court in Skopje sentenced Gruevski to two years in prison for unlawfully influencing the decision of interior ministry officials to purchase a Mercedes car at an estimated cost of 600,000 euro ($682,614). In October, Skopje Appeal Court dismissed an appeal against the jail sentence lodged by Gruevski.
Gruevski led North Macedonia's government from 2006 to 2016.
($ = 0.8798 euro)