At the start of Tuesday’s hearing in the trial concerning the fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kochani, Petre Shilegov, the defense attorney for defendant Shofket Hazari, urged the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) to consider two recent Supreme Court rulings. According to Shilegov, those cases resulted in the overturning of verdicts precisely because the causal links between the actions of the accused had not been proven.
“We must ensure that, six or seven years down the line, the same thing doesn’t happen in this case, that resources aren’t wasted in vain,” Shilegov said.
During a break in the proceedings, parents of the children who lost their lives in the fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kochani spoke to the media, responding to Shilegov’s request.
“Attorney Petre Shilegov is once again asking the Public Prosecutor’s Office to re-examine the criminal incident, citing other cases. However, you cannot equate 13 years of illegal operations at the Pulse club with the charges in another case. These are distinct matters involving different grounds for liability,” said Aleksandar Naunov.