Fire Tragedy Has Proportions of National Disaster, Says Prosecutor-General

In an interview with Politika, Prosecutor-General Ljupco Kocevski says the Kocani fire tragedy has the proportions of a national disaster.

“Not only does politics not belong here, but also, such exploitation of the tragedy is absolutely inadmissible. We must be united because our common goal is to punish those responsible and ensure that such a tragedy will never repeat itself”, he tells the Serbian newspaper.

According to him, non-compliance with the law lasted for too long, while everyone now is demanding justice.

“Justice has to be served”, Kocevski stresses.

The Prosecutor-General also adds that evidence being gathered every day indicates that the root is a general erosion of the system, a culture of not respecting the law and the system, but also deep systemic corruption.

“The Prosecutor’s Office is unfortunately not an organ of prevention, but rather one of repression. Could such an outcome have been prevented and how? I would say, ‘Perhaps’. However, it’s now up to us to face the consequences, punish those responsible for this disaster and prevent such a tragedy from repeating itself”, Kocevski underlines.

In his view, what the tragic events the country has faced over the past years have in common is that, in addition to the direct cause of the disaster, there is often an additional one, in the form of non-compliance with the law and systemic corruption, which, he points out, significantly increases the disastrous consequences.