Skopje, 3 February 2025 (MIA) - Chief Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevski said Monday that the Prosecutor's Office will act professionally in the Frosina Kulakova case, a 22-year-old fashion designer from Negotino, who was killed in downtown Skopje by 20-year-old Vasil Jovanov from Skopje, who drove drunk, didn’t have a license and ran a red light while Frosina was crossing the street. 

"Deep condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased girl. This is such a loss of young life that cannot be compensated for by any punishment. I assure the citizens that the Public Prosecutor's Office will act in accordance with the legal provisions, will be transparent in the procedure, the citizens will know how it will proceed and in which direction the evidence will go," Kocevski told TV21. 

He pointed out that citizens are partly right when they say that the system is to blame.

"You are partly right because some of the legal provisions are such that only the Public Prosecutor's Office, and the court, can apply the law as it is. With the amendments to the Criminal Code, a new criminal offence was introduced - reckless driving, but the provision was not removed from the misdemeanour procedure, where some of the actions that are included in that criminal offence are also covered by the law on misdemeanours. In a case of exceeding the speed limit, the police, after establishing it, can file a misdemeanour procedure and that procedure goes directly to the Court, which means that the elements of the criminal offence are also covered in this, and here the practice needs to be unified," the Chief Prosecutor added.

Kocevski says an investigation is underway on whether the driver committed the crime intentionally or through negligence.

"A public prosecutor will investigate whether it could possibly be a case of intent, given that if the driver was under the influence of alcohol, did not have a driver's license, drove much, much faster than the permitted speed and ran a red light, we will see during the procedure whether there is room for whether he committed the crime with intent. In general, almost all crimes in traffic are committed due to negligence," he said.

Kocevski also commented on concerns after the driver who ran over Frosina Kulakova was found with a mobile phone in prison. He said he does not believe that Vasil Jovanov using a mobile phone in prison will have any consequences on the case.

"In this particular case, it cannot have much of an impact because it is a traffic accident where material evidence has been provided, it is not disputed that he ran a red light, blood alcohol levels will be determined. The speed will be determined as well as the manner in which he drove, so I think using a mobile phone will not have any essential significance in the procedure," Kocevski added. 

The suspect for Frosina Kulakova's death, 20-year-old Vasil Jovanov from Skopje, has been placed in 30-day detention. He had previous records of drug trafficking and another traffic accident, but did not serve time.

Photo: print screen