SKOPJE, North Macedonia — On Monday, authorities revealed that eight former high-ranking officials in North Macedonia, including a past prime minister, are currently being investigated for alleged financial irregularities concerning gambling licenses linked to a state lottery company sanctioned by the previous administration.

Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski refrained from disclosing the names of the individuals involved but informed the press that the group consists of a former prime minister, a former deputy prime minister, a former legal entity director, and a former secretary general, alongside additional civil servants connected to one of the implicated legal entities.

Reports from state-run media indicate that Dimitar Kovachevski, who led as a Social Democrat prime minister from 2022 to 2024, and his deputy, Artan Grubi, are among those under scrutiny.

The current administration, led by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party after their significant electoral win in May, announced the inquiry into financial losses totaling approximately 8.2 million euros. This investigation came to light following police operations at nine different sites in recent days.

As of now, none of the officials involved have been detained or made any public statements regarding the allegations.