SKOPJE – On 26 August, the Court of Appeal in Skopje officially confirmed the acquittal of fugitive former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in the high-profile “Talir 2” corruption case, it was reported by the media in North Macedonia. The final and legally binding decision dismisses the prosecution’s appeal, concluding a seven-year legal battle over the illegal financing and construction of the VMRO-DPMNE party’s multimillion-euro headquarters, known as the “White Palace”.
The Court of Appeal upheld the lower court decision. It ruled that prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gruevski exceeded his official authority or violated political party financing laws.
The outcome of the case was directly influenced by controversial 2023 amendments to the Criminal Code passed by the parliament in Skopje. These legislative changes significantly weakened the framework for prosecuting abuse of office and shortened the statute of limitations. Had the court not issued an acquittal, the case would have completely expired under the statute of limitations within days.
Sloboden pecat portal reported that by confirming the acquittal, the court permanently blocked the state’s attempt to confiscate the VMRO-DPMNE headquarters, and roughly 30 other frozen real estate properties linked to the party.
While this ruling is a definitive victory for Gruevski regarding “Talir 2”, his legal status remains highly complex. In the original 2022 trial, he was sentenced to six years in prison for this case before the Court of Appeal annulled the verdict and ordered the retrial.
Gruevski remains a fugitive in Hungary, where he was granted political asylum in 2018 to evade a separate, finalized two-year prison sentence from the “Tank” case involving a luxury bulletproof Mercedes. He also faces separate final sentences, including a nine-year sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2023 for the “Plots on Vodno” money-laundering case.
The Hungarian government continues to deny extradition requests from North Macedonian authorities, and his current refugee status in Budapest remains active.
