Nikola Gruevski

A former prime minister of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Friday lost his final appeal against serving a two-year prison sentence over corruption-related charges.

A panel of judges at the Skopje criminal court said in a statement that they rejected Nikola Gruevski's appeal after "reviewing all the facts and evidence" in the case.

Macedonian businessman Orce Kamcev and former secret police chief Saso Mijalkov are among 13 persons suspected of a series of crimes, as part of a new investigation launched by the country's Special Prosecution, codenamed "Empire".

Macedonia's Criminal Court in Skopje on Friday rejected appeals filed by former prime minister Nikola Gruevski to postpone his two-year jail sentence for the illicit purchase of a luxury Mercedes.

"The decision has been sent to the parties in the case and will become executive right after the parties receive it," the ruling said.

The criminal court of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), which is investigating allegations of unlawful political financing, has ordered a temporary freeze on the sale or lease of 69 properties owned by the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE, including its headquarters.

The right-wing VMRO DPMNE opposition party cannot sell or rent its lavish 'white palace' HQ in central Skopje, nor many of its other real-estate assets across the country, until the end of the major money-laundering case codenamed 'Talir', the Special Prosecution, SJO told BIRN on Thursday.

Skopje Criminal Court issued this ruling on Wednesday, the sources said.

Several prominent opposition party officials and MPs resigned from their VMRO DPMNE party positions in the past few days, accusing the leadership of isolating the party and taking an anti-Western course which they do not want to follow.

The most recent to resign, on Wednesday, was the head of the party's youth union, Luka Krzaloski. 

The Criminal Court in Skopje confirmed on Friday that it has handed a 'referral act' to ex-premier Nikola Gruevski, saying he should start serving his jail sentence at the prison in Shuto Orizari, near Skopje, on November 8 at the latest.

At an extraordinary session of its central committee on Monday night, VMRO DPMNE purged several high-profile members, requested resignations from renegade MPs who supported the 'name' agreement with Greece at last week's parliamentary vote and threatened to oust other MPs if they support the agreement in the future.

Macedonia's Special Prosecution, SJO, said on Wednesday that it is investigating Vice Prime Minister Bujar Osmani, along with 14 other people, over several suspicious public tenders in 2010 while he served as health minister in former premier Nikola Gruevski's cabinet.

Macedonia's former interior minister, Gordana Jankuloska, was jailed for six years on Monday in a first-instance verdict for "misuse of office", for her involvement in the illegal purchase of a luxury Mercedes in 2012 that the former prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, had used secretly.