In a development regarding the case of the demolition of author Vlado Maleski’s memorial house in Struga, the Struga Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) has filed an indictment against six suspects. They are charged with the criminal offense of damage to or destruction of assets under temporary protection, cultural heritage, or natural rarities, under Article 264 of the Criminal Code.
The incident dates back to October 15 of last year. The primary defendant, the manager of a construction company from Veleshta acting as both the investor and the contractor for the demolition, had been required by a decision from the Cultural Heritage Protection Office to prepare a preliminary design specifying a strict demolition method. This requirement was imposed because the structure in question was located in immediate proximity to, and shared a partition wall and roof structure with, Maleski’s protected historic house in Struga.
However, he prepared only a basic design that did not specify a demolition method for the old building on Brakja Miladinovci Street; furthermore, following the demolition, he began construction of a new building, comprising a basement, ground floor, and upper floor, on the same plot. While excavating for the basement of the new building, the accused carried out a large-scale excavation using an excavator, thereby undermining the shared partition wall between the two structures; this led to the destabilization and collapse of the house that was protected as cultural heritage.
A civil engineer and an architect from the Department of Urban Planning of the Municipality of Struga are accused of preparing and approving the building permit without the inclusion of a preliminary design for the demolition of the existing structure on the plot, thereby aiding the primary accused in committing the criminal offense.
The indictment also includes the then-mayor of the Municipality of Struga, who issued the permit allowing the primary accused, contrary to the ruling of the Cultural Heritage Protection Office, to construct a basement level for the building in addition to the ground floor and upper story.
Also charged with aiding the primary accused is an architect-conservator from the Institute for the Ohrid Protection of Cultural Heritage and Museum; she issued an opinion raising no objections regarding the project’s compliance with the Cultural Heritage Protection Office’s guidelines and certified technical documentation that, contrary to the Office’s ruling, included plans for the construction of basement premises.