The Latest: Macedonia ex-leader requests asylum in Hungary

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The Latest on the former prime minister who fled Macedonia (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

The Hungarian government says the former prime minister of Macedonia, who fled his country to avoid a two-year prison sentence for corruption, has requested asylum.

Nikola Gruevski is considered to be close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose office said Tuesday it considers the asylum request “solely a legal issue” and sees Macedonia as “a strategic partner and an important ally.”

Hungarian opposition parties are demanding that the Orban government deny the asylum request and hand over Gruevski to Macedonian authorities.

Orban’s office says Gruevski intends to submit a request for refugee status in Hungary.

–This item has been corrected to show that the first name of the ex-prime minister is Nikola, not Nikolas.

___

12:35 p.m.

Macedonian authorities have temporarily jailed two former government officials on trial for corruption, after the former prime minister fled to Hungary to avoid serving a two-year prison term.

A criminal court on Wednesday ordered former transport minister Mile Janakieski and former government secretary-general Kiril Bozinovski to be held for 30 days. Prosecutors sought their detention amid fears they could also try to flee the country.

They are on trial on charges including corruption over public contracts and election fraud.

Interior minister Oliver Spasovski said late Tuesday that Macedonia will seek the extradition from Hungary of Nikola Gruevski, who was prime minister from 2006-2016.

Gruevski, currently a lawmaker for the main opposition party, was convicted of influencing officials to purchase a luxury car for government use.