Macedonian court sentences former PM Gruevski to 2 years
SKOPJE, Macedonia — A Macedonian criminal court sentenced former conservative prime minister Nikola Gruevski to two years in prison Wednesday for unlawfully influencing officials at the interior ministry over the purchase of a luxury bulletproof car.
The court ruled that Gruevski, who served as prime minister during 2006-2016, influenced the officials in the 2012 purchase of his Mercedes at an estimated cost of 600,000 euros (around $700,000.)
The 47-year-old Gruevski denied any wrongdoing. He was not present in court when the verdict was read and will remain free pending appeal.
He was convicted using evidence from audio material collected during a massive wiretapping scandal that erupted in 2015 and contributed to the demise of his government. The judge ruled that allowing the audio to be used as evidence was in the public interest.