Skopje, 18 March 2025 (MIA) - Short-term detention of 48 hours has been ordered for 16 people in relation to the fire at a nightclub in Kochani that claimed 59 lives and left over 150 injured.

“Up until this moment, the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Kochani has proposed short-term detention for 16 people. The proposals have been accepted, and the measure has been ordered for all 16,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office said.

Those in detention include former Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi and the former head of the State Market Inspectorate, Goran Trajkovski.

Short-term detention is proposed for especially complex cases, when it is necessary to gather a larger scope of evidence to determine all circumstances and the potential formal launching of an investigation.

The measure can be ordered twice before a formal investigation is launched.

Once an investigation is formally launched, the public prosecutor proposes new measures for the suspects, the short-term detention is scrapped and is usually replaced with regular detention.

Photo: MIA Archive