For the fifth consecutive day, VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM are trading accusations over the house arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi. The ruling party claims SDSM is protecting accomplices in crime, while the opposition SDSM calls the case a "staged circus".

VMRO-DPMNE reacted after a parliamentary question session at which SDSM MPs did not mention Grubi at all. The ruling party interpreted this as fear – asking why former officials Spasovski, Filipče and Zečević are so agitated and whether this is connected to what Grubi might potentially testify about.

"SDSM is so alarmed and nervous about Artan Grubi's arrest because of their fear of his testimony," reads VMRO-DPMNE's statement, which added that everyone who has committed a crime must answer before justice.

SDSM responded that the entire case had turned into a "theatre that became a circus", citing a series of contradictions in the official explanations. First, prosecutors claimed the house arrest was based on security assessments by the Interior Ministry and UBK, then the Šuto Orizari prison director denied this, then came a new claim that the assessments exist but are classified, and then "foreign services" were mentioned.

For SDSM, the series of contradictions is proof that "everything was pre-arranged". For VMRO-DPMNE, the opposition's silence is proof of their guilt. The public, however, is still waiting for a legal resolution to the fundamental question – the legality of the house arrest decision.