Watchdog

An appeals court in Macedonia has upheld a lower court's sentencing of former conservative Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to two years in jail for unlawfully influencing officials over the purchase of a luxury bulletproof vehicle.

A court in May found that Gruevski, who led the government from 2006 to 2016, had put pressure on Interior Ministry officials in the 2012 purchase of his Mercedes at an estimated cost of 600,000 euros (around $700,000).

The appeals court said on October 5 that it found "the complaints of the accused... unfounded, and confirmed the first instance verdict in full."

Prosecutors said Gruevski has a two-week deadline to turn himself in to prison.

But the former premier told local media he would use "all legal means to fight the prison sentence."

Gruevski was convicted on the basis of evidence from audio material collected during a massive wiretapping scandal that erupted in 2015 and contributed to the fall of his government.

The wiretapping scandal ignited massive street protests, both for and against Gruevski's government, and led to early elections.

Following the vote, Social Democratic leader Zoran Zaev took over as prime minister in May last year.

Gruevski’s government denied responsibility for the wiretapping, blaming foreign spy agencies.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Pakistan's anti-graft body said it had arrested opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif over corruption charges relating to a housing scheme.

The National Accountability Bureau said in a statement that it arrested Sharif, the brother of former ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on October 5 after several hours of questioning.

It was unclear when Shahbaz Sharif was due to appear in court.

Shahbaz Sharif is accused of misusing his authority as the chief minister of Punjab Province from 2013 to 2018 by influencing authorities to award contracts for a government-run housing program for low-income citizens to a company with which he had political affiliations.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party, which Shahbaz Sharif heads, condemned the arrest which it said was politically motivated.

Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from office by the Supreme Court last year over corruption allegations.

An accountability court in July sentenced the former leader and his daughter to 10-year and seven-year terms in prison, respectively, over the purchase of luxury apartments in London in the 1990s.

They have denied wrongdoing, with Sharif suggesting collusion between the country’s powerful military and courts to throw him out of power.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP