Three luxury apartments of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, confiscated in the court case "Plots on Vodno", have gone up for public auction again - and the price says it all: the square metre starts from over 4,000 euros, and the total starting price reaches 2.46 million euros.

The Agency for the Management of Seized Property is putting the Vodno real estate up for sale on a repeat attempt, after previous auctions failed. According to the descriptions, one of the apartments has a jacuzzi on the terrace and a panoramic view of Skopje - flats that, as noted, only millionaires can afford. The viewing is scheduled for 16 July, and the auction for 29 July.

The story carries a bitter irony. Property acquired at the time Gruevski was in power, confiscated after justice (even if late) reached him, the state is now trying to turn into money - but only for those who already have millions. The ordinary citizen who for decades cannot save up for a modest flat watches as luxury from a contested past is resold once more at the top of the pyramid.

The opposition, for its part, claims that Gruevski's real property is outside Macedonia, and that "a few apartments don't make justice". Whether the state is really recovering what was taken from it, or just auctioning the tip of the iceberg - that's a question every new auction only reminds us of, without answering it.