The trial for the fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kochani that claimed 63 lives and injured over 200 on March 16, 2025, resumed in the Idrizovo courtroom Thursday. The proceedings are currently in the stage of presenting material evidence by the prosecution.
The prosecution presented documentation provided by the Ministry of Economy and Labor – Tourism and Hospitality Sector, which relates to the beginning of the facility’s operations and the circumstances surrounding the issuance of licenses, although, as indicated in the courtroom, the minimum technical operating conditions were not met.
Prosecutor Natasha Saramandova presented several pieces of evidence, including a request from October 10, 2012, submitted by the owner Dejan Jovanov for the issuance of a cabaret license. According to the prosecution, the request states that it is a facility on Dimitar Vlahov bb. Street, where all conditions were checked, except for providing a sufficient number of evacuation exits for a capacity of 200 visitors.
The defense requested that additional parts of the documents be read, but the Prosecution opposed it, stating that it is not practical to read every piece of evidence in its entirety.
During the procedure, letters and minutes from institutions were presented, including the Municipality of Kochani, the State Market Inspectorate and the Ministry of Economy. They, as the Prosecution pointed out, concluded that the facility did not meet the minimum technical requirements for conducting catering activities, which is why the license application was rejected.
The prosecutor pointed out that the documentation shows that there were institutional controls and negative decisions, emphasizing that the facility should not have started operating without meeting the requirements. This part of the presentation provoked a reaction from the defense, which assessed that the presentation was one-sided and requested a break, after which it filed a motion to disqualify the prosecutor due to alleged bias.
