Thursday’s hearing on the Pulse nightclub fire in Kochani was concluded with requests for psychiatric expert opinions, reading of witness statements and motions to check availability, and none of the proposed witnesses of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) showed up. The court accepted the prosecution’s motions, including the reading of Denis Dautovski’s statement, which is not available to the law enforcement agencies.
Regarding witnesses Ana Tomeva and Lina Krstova, the prosecution announced the hiring of an expert in the field of psychiatry, after which the Court will decide whether the conditions for the application of Article 388 paragraph 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP) have been met.
“In the previous hearing, you stated in principle that medical documentation had been received and that you would inform us further, but in order to comply with the procedure, the prosecution has engaged an expert in the field of psychiatry, so that he could state whether the condition in which Ana Tomeva is found constitutes a mental illness, and how we could proceed with the application of the exception provided for in the provision of Article 388, paragraph 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for the direct presentation of evidence. However, since the medical documentation is with you, and of course direct supervision by the expert should be carried out, such documentation will be additionally secured and submitted to the court, so that we can apply it,” the prosecution said. A similar procedure was also announced for the witness Lina Krstova.
“Taking into account the medical documentation received today for witness Lina Krstova, an expert opinion will be requested regarding the health condition of this witness, regarding whether it is a mental illness due to which the witness would not be able to immediately re-present his testimony before this court and Article 388 paragraph 5 of the CPC will be applied. After securing the expert’s findings, it will be immediately submitted to the court and we will proceed with our proposal regarding these witnesses, depending on the findings,” the prosecution added.
The defense requested the withdrawal of these witnesses, assessing that if the expert examination determines a mental illness, their previous statements would be unreliable, but the Court decided to prepare expert opinions for Tomeva and Krstova.
The tragic fire broke out on March 16, 2025, during a performance by the band DNK at the Pulse nightclub in Kochani, claiming 63 lives and injuring over 200. The trial is taking place in the courtroom at the Idrizovo Penitentiary.
