At Wednesday’s press-conference, SDSM leader Venko Filipce said the “controversial press-releases” by the authorities about how ex-Deputy PM Artan Grubi, a suspect in the Lottery case, had left the country gave people the right to think a deal had been previously reached.
“First, it was said that he left in a diplomatic vehicle. Then, it was said he crossed the border by foot. Then it was said the cameras hadn’t worked. However, we know the cameras don’t run on batteries. Citizens are hearing all of that and everyone who has common sense will suspect there is some background to all of that. On multiple occasions in the previous period, SDSM had indicated that there was a problem in the functioning of the border with Kosovo: the escape or “walk” of [former KLA member] Blerim Ramadani, the way in which Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi crossed the border, and, now, this crossing of the border”, he said after he’d been asked why his party believed there was a political deal between VMRO-DPMNE and DUI.