Ten police officers from Štip and Kočani are under investigation following the catastrophic fire at the “Puls” discotheque in Kočani. They are suspected of abuse of office and negligence.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that the officers are suspected of issuing approvals between 2012 and 2022, which allowed the discotheque to obtain a license to operate despite allegedly not meeting the necessary safety conditions.

A public prosecutor from the Specialized Department for Prosecution of Criminal Offenses Committed by Persons with Police Authority and Members of the Prison Police issued an order to conduct an investigative procedure against the ten police officers based on a criminal complaint filed by the Ministry of Interior.

The suspects, acting as officials employed by SIA Štip and PS ON Kočani, allegedly failed to conduct a complete and detailed check regarding the issuance of a positive consent for issuing a license for Cabaret “PULS,” specifically concerning traffic safety and public order and peace.

The Public Prosecutor will propose precautionary measures for seven suspects to the judge of the preliminary procedure at the Basic Criminal Court Skopje to ensure the smooth conduct of the criminal procedure and the presence of the suspects. The remaining three suspects are already secured through a previous procedure.

The Specialized Department continues pre-investigative actions to identify any other individuals involved in the case.