Eleven prosecutors on the Kocani accident team continue controls on security standards

The prosecutor’s office working on an investigation into the Kocani disco accident where 59 people were killed in a fire, and about 200 people sustained serious bodily injuries. A total of 11 public prosecutors are working on extensive activities that include interrogation of more than 300 witnesses, but also other investigative actions and appropriate expertise in many areas. Meanwhile, controls continue in public buildings across the country, to check the documentation, fulfillment of liabilities from licenses and permits, technical conditions for work and security standards.

All schools, kindergartens, public institutions, cultural homes and gyms in the country are safe, informed the President of the Community of the Units of Local Self -Government (ZELS) and the Mayor of the Municipality of Kisela Voda Orce Gjorgjievski after the external inspection controls. He announced that the inspections will continue in the coming period, and recommendations are made to make strict controls in all residential buildings, and all the urban equipment set up in the municipalities is underway.

In recent days, 116 extraordinary supervisions have been made on the basis of the Law on Catering Activity, with solutions to temporarily ban ten legal entities, cafes and clubs. It has been established that 15 legal entities out of a total of 23, which have an active license do not meet minimum technical conditions, and 59 misdemeanor payment orders were issued in the amount of 522,690 denars, Government spokeswoman Maria Miteva informed.

Miteva announced that in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, the SMI these days are starting with inspection supervision in facilities for organizing celebrations and events, with special emphasis on determining minimal-technical conditions, categorization of restaurants, as well as other provisions of the Catering Law.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said yesterday that inspection controls in all public buildings across the country would continue to continue, which started the tragedy with the fire in Kocani, stressing that 70-80 percent of the buildings had huge irregularities.

-I can say that huge irregularities are observed. When I talk about huge irregularities, I speak specifically about 70-80 percent of the objects. I’m not talking about exceptions, but about the practice that worked and will no longer work – said the Prime Minister of the event for reconstruction and conversion of a department store in a modern multifunctional center and museum in the municipality of Radovis.

Mickoski emphasized that they are developing an action plan for a certain period to declare a moratorium and to remove all those irregularities for those who want to function with the activity they have functioned.

In recent days, 116 extraordinary supervisions have been made on the basis of the Law on Catering Activity, with solutions to temporarily ban ten legal entities, cafes and clubs. It has been established that 15 legal entities out of a total of 23, which have an active license do not meet minimum technical conditions, and 59 misdemeanor payment orders were issued in the amount of 522,690 denars, Government spokeswoman Maria Miteva informed.

Miteva announced that in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, the SMI these days are starting with inspection supervision in facilities for organizing celebrations and events, with special emphasis on determining minimal-technical conditions, categorization of restaurants, as well as other provisions of the Catering Law.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said yesterday that inspection controls in all public buildings across the country would continue to continue, which started the tragedy with the fire in Kocani, stressing that 70-80 percent of the buildings had huge irregularities.

-I can say that huge irregularities are observed. When I talk about huge irregularities, I speak specifically about 70-80 percent of the objects. I am not talking about exceptions, but about the functioning practice and will no longer work, said the Prime Minister of the Reconstruction and converts of a department store in a modern multifunctional center and a museum in the municipality of Radovis.

Mickoski emphasized that they are developing an action plan for a certain period to declare a moratorium and to remove all those irregularities for those who want to function with the activity they have functioned.

The organizers of the protest, the civic movement « Who is Next? », Said they are not related to any party and expect transparency from the investigating authorities.

– We are a civic initiative, we are not related to any political party. It is very important to distinguish partisanship from politicizing. We are active citizens, we want to stay here, to live in Macedonia, but if it is safe, we demand responsibility, security and transparency and therefore we are protesting – said Milena Janevska of the Civic Movement « Who is Next? »

The opposition SDSM said yesterday that there should be no selectivity, and called for all MoI failures to be investigated in Kocani, while DUI has previously released a message that silence about the tragedy in Kocani is over, it must now be said, accusing the government without waiting for the facts.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office informs that the team acting in the investigation into the tragic fire in Kocani has been extended to 11 public prosecutors, and that more than 300 witnesses and other investigative actions have been planned.

State Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski held a coordinating meeting with the team of public prosecutors who act in this case in accordance with the plan of activities and dynamics.

-The first plans of the investigation point to extensive activities that include interrogation of more than 300 witnesses, as well as other investigative actions and appropriate forensic expertise. Attorney General Kocevski has asked the appointed prosecutors an effective and thorough investigation that will in detail any aspect and direction of responsibility for the tragedy in Kocani – reads the statement from the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

This is the third expansion of the prosecution team working on the investigation to determine the causes of the disaster in Kocani. Initially, on March 16, immediately after the accident in Kocani, the public prosecutor formed a prosecutor’s team that included five prosecutors from Kocani, Stip and Skopje. Then the prosecutor’s team, a day later, was expanded to nine prosecutors and consisted of two public prosecutors from the BPPO Kocani, two public prosecutors from the BPPO Stip and five public prosecutors from the BPPO Skopje.

The total number of suspects in Kocani has so far been 34. The investigation covers 27 natural and three legal entities, and investigative proceedings are against seven police officers from SIA Stip and PSON Kocani. In the first phase of the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor’s Office, two criminal charges were filed against 34 natural and three legal entities, for the crime of « serious offenses against general security » under Article 292 in connection with « causing general danger » under Article 288 of the Criminal Code. One person is also reported for « receiving bribe » under Article 357 of the CC. After 30 detention for the seven police officers from SIA Stip and PSON Kocani, as the Kocani Basic Court informed such a measure yesterday, it was determined for all 24 persons for whom the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office had requested. Among the 24 people for whom the three mayors of Kocani are detained are the resignation Mayor Ljupco Papazov, as well as former Ratko Dimitrovski and Nikolco Iliyev, former Economy Minister Kreshnik Beckstei.

In the fire at the Pulse disco in Kocani on March 16, 59 people were killed and about 200 injured.