Former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been living in Budapest since 2018, received full Hungarian citizenship in 2022, the investigative portal VSquare reported, citing sources in the Hungarian government. According to the same sources, Gruevski continues to reside in Hungary, which significantly reduces the chances of his extradition to North Macedonia.
According to the portal, the citizenship was granted on the basis of “Hungary’s state interest,” which provides him with much stronger legal protection than the political asylum he previously received from Viktor Orbán’s government.
VSquare notes that, unlike asylum, which can be revoked, revoking citizenship is a complex legal procedure and would require proving that it was acquired through fraud or corruption. In this case, that would mean an investigation into the highest representatives of the then Hungarian government.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced upon taking office that Hungary would no longer serve as a haven for international criminals.
