Skopje, 2 April 2025 (MIA) - The Council of Public Prosecutors has given a negative opinion on the motion to dismiss Chief Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevski. Three members voted in favor of the proposal, while six voted against it. The President of the Council, Dushica Dimitrieska, stated that since the Council makes decisions by majority vote, the majority expressed a negative opinion. Those who supported the Government’s motion for Kocevski’s dismissal were Keti Petkova, Ardian Demiri, and Marjana Ilievska.

The Council of Public Prosecutors decided to exclude the public from discussions on the proposal to dismiss Chief Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevski. The decision was unanimously supported following a request by Council member Zorica Pavlovic, who cited Article 10 of the Law on the Council of Public Prosecutors, emphasizing the sensitivity of the process and the need to protect the prosecutor’s reputation and integrity.

Svetlana Stojkovikj supported the proposal, adding that the public should also be excluded because Kocevski’s statement on the proposal for his dismissal contained information and evidence from disciplinary proceedings against two public prosecutors. As noted, the discussion will be held behind closed doors, with the public allowed to participate only during the vote on the government's motion for Kocevski's dismissal.

The session of the Council of Public Prosecutors, set to review the Government’s motion for dismissal of the Chief Prosecutor of North Macedonia, has been postponed twice. 

As announced by the President of the Council of Public Prosecutors, Dushica Dimitrieska, the session has been postponed due to the absence of three members, resulting in a lack of quorum. The public will be updated on any further developments.

The motion to dismiss Chief Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevski is the second item on the agenda for the 22nd session, which was first scheduled for March 18, but postponed by the Council due to a seven-day mourning period declared for the victims in the Kochani nightclub fire.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Tuesday that the procedure for the dismissal of Chief Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevski will be stopped at its current stage.

“Given the sensitive situation in society, we plan to stop the procedure at its current stage, as we believe the prosecutors working on the Kochani nightclub fire case should be allowed to continue and complete their work. When I said that we are satisfied, I could see that there was a coordinated effort between the Ministry of Interior and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, leading to 34 people detained who are under suspicion of having any connection to this case,” Mickoski said.

On February 11, 2025, the Government decided to initiate procedures for the dismissal of Chief Prosecutor Kocevski. The Chief Prosecutor's term is six years, with Kocevski elected to the post in February 2024. In accordance with the Government’s conclusion, the Ministry of Justice took action and prepared an opinion regarding the proposed dismissal of the Chief Public Prosecutor.

The Ministry of Justice said that the Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of North Macedonia acted in cases where legal provisions indicated circumstances that would raise doubts about his impartiality and conflict of interest, circumstances he should have known about and should have excluded himself from. Chief Prosecutor Kocevski denied the claim that the acted unlawfully, stating that he adhered to the law and its deadlines.

Photo: MIA archive