Ten police officers from Shtip and Kočani are under investigation in connection with the catastrophic fire at the “Puls” discotheque in Kočani. The officers are suspected of abuse of power related to approvals issued between 2012 and 2022.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that the officers allegedly enabled the discotheque to obtain a license to operate, even though it did not meet the necessary safety conditions. A criminal complaint filed by the Ministry of Interior triggered the investigation.

The Specialized Department for Prosecution of Criminal Offenses Committed by Persons with Police Powers and Members of the Prison Police is handling the case. The prosecutor’s office issued an order to conduct an investigative procedure against the ten police officers.

The suspects are accused of failing to conduct complete and detailed checks regarding traffic safety, public order, and peace during the approval process for Cabaret “PULS”. This failure allegedly allowed the business to obtain a license despite not meeting the required standards.

The Public Prosecutor will propose precautionary measures for seven of the suspects to the judge of the preliminary procedure at the Basic Criminal Court Skopje. The remaining three suspects are already secured through previous procedures.

The Specialized Department is continuing its pre-investigative actions to identify any other individuals involved in the case. The investigation is ongoing.