Skopje, 19 April 2025 (MIA) - Families of the victims in the fire that broke out in the Pulse nightclub are holding a protest march in Kochani on Saturday. This is the third protest march by the families of the Kochani fire victims since the last one held on April 12. 

The protest march starts from the City Park in Kochani and will continue towards the Municipality and the Ministry of Interior.

At the last protest, the families of the victims expressed dissatisfaction with the delayed reaction of the competent institutions, noting it as one of the reasons for the terrible tragedy.

The March 16 fire that broke out in the 'Pulse' nightclub in Kochani claimed 62 lives and left about 200 people injured.

An extensive investigation into the tragedy is underway, including a prosecutorial team of 13 public prosecutors. According to authorities, a large number of searches have been conducted, witnesses have been questioned, and over a thousand pieces of material evidence have been collected.

The investigation covers over 60 individuals and three legal entities, including former ministers of economy, current and former mayors of Kochani, former directors of the State Market Inspectorate, police officers, current and former directors of the Protection and Rescue Directorate.

Chief Prosecutor Ljubomir Kocevski does not rule out the possibility that more people will be detained before the investigation is completed.

He said in an interview with Telma TV that former ministers of economy have issued licenses based on incomplete documentation.

"All licenses, though issued, did not have complete legal documentation. Ministers have issued licenses based on incomplete documentation. There have been no reports and proper documentation from the Protection and Rescue Directorate based on which ministers could issue a license. This includes construction, documents from local self-government, etc. Ministers should have evaluated all the necessary documents and then issue a license. In the inspection into the license cases, the public prosecutors found that in all cases there was no complete and legal documentation," said Kocevski. 

He noted that the current Minister of Economy was not included in the investigation, as there was no evidence that the nightclub owner had initiated a procedure for issuing a new license.

Former minister of economy Kreshnik Bekteshi remains in detention, while his predecessors Valon Saraqini and Bekim Neziri remain under house arrest. Precautionary measures have been ordered against Ambassador Driton Kuqi, who headed this ministry.

Former mayors Ljupcho Papazov, Ratko Dimitrievski and Nikolcho Iliev also remain under house arrest. 

On Friday, the Prosecutor's Office said a proposal has been submitted to the Kochani-based Court to replace the previously ordered house arrest measure with precautionary measures against two suspects in their capacity as former directors of the State Market Inspectorate, based on assessment of legal grounds and the phase of checks regarding this institution

Precautionary measures have also been ordered for the first time against a suspect who has been undergoing treatment until now. Some media reported that this is the son of the nightclub's owner. 

The investigation so far has shown there have been systemic errors and omissions in recent years, and a series of omissions in terms of the Law on Hospitality have also been identified by the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption.

Photo: MIA archive