Skopje, 16 March 2025 (MIA) - Former minister of economy Kreshnik Bekteshi was summoned late Sunday for police questioning, in connection to the overnight fire in a Kochani nightclub, the Ministry of Interior has told MIA.

Earlier, Minister of Inteior Panche Toshkovski said 20 people have so far been identified as suspects in connection with the fatal blaze, 15 of whom are currently in police station.

Toshkovski said the company did not have a legal operating license and he could not reveal further details on this part of the investigation, noting however that, like many other things from the past, it was related to bribery and corruption.

The MoI said there were about 500 persons attending the nightclub concert, of whom 59 died while 155 have been injured.

MIA file photo