Macedonian ex-prime minister loses appeal over prison term

SKOPJE, Macedonia - A former Macedonian prime minister 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.

It was not immediately clear whether Gruevski intended to hand himself in to authorities to serve the sentence.

The former leader of the conservative main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party was sentenced in May to two years in prison for unlawfully influencing Interior Ministry officials over the purchase of a luxury vehicle. He was ordered to present himself at the capital Skopje’s “Shuto Orizari” prison Thursday, but submitted a lastminute appeal.