Court in Kočani Issues 30-Day Detention for 13 Individuals
Discotheque “Pulse”, Photo: Reuters
The court in Kočani has accepted the proposal from the Prosecutor’s Office, ordering detention for 13 out of 19 individuals under investigation regarding the fire at the “Puls” discotheque, as reported by Telma Television.
Those detained include Krešnik Bekteši, a former Minister of Economy of North Macedonia and senior member of the Albanian opposition party DUI, Goran Trajkovski, former director of the State Market Inspection, and Bekim Maksuti, the former head of the Protection and Rescue Directorate.
The Kočani Basic Court is set to decide today on the remaining six individuals for whom detention has been requested in relation to the investigation into the tragic fire at the “Puls” discotheque, which resulted in 59 fatalities and around 200 injuries.
As part of this ongoing investigation, Macedonian police detained outgoing Kočani mayor Ljupčo Papazov last night, along with his two predecessors, Nikolče Iliev and Ratko Dimitrovski.
Ljupco Papazov submitted his resignation on March 16, following the devastating incident at the “Puls” discotheque, and expressed his full cooperation with the authorities.
Ratko Dimitrovski served as mayor from 2009 to 2017, while Nikolče Iliev held the position from 2017 to 2021.
The Basic Criminal Court in Skopje ordered a 30-day detention for seven police officers from Kočani and Štip who are suspected in the investigation related to the fire at the “Puls” disco.
The fire at the “Puls” discotheque in Kočani, located about 100 kilometers east of Skopje, erupted on Sunday, March 16, at 2:30:500 AM, during a concert by the group DNK, owing to the use of pyrotechnics. Approximately 250 people were inside the venue at the time, despite only 100 tickets being sold.
The investigation revealed that the discotheque lacked essential fire safety measures, including a hydrant network and adequate fire extinguishers. Additionally, the use of pyrotechnics was unauthorized, the establishment operated without a legal permit, and there was no contract between the organizers and the performers.
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