SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
At an extraordinary press-conference on Sunday, SDSM Vice-President Ana Cupeska called for a thorough and independent investigation into the Kocani nightclub fire. She said she was calling on the Prosecutor’s Office and all other investigative organs to ensure that citizens get the truth and that those responsible be held to account.
Cupeska also asked Interior Minister Pance Toskovski many questions, stressing, “Minister Toskovski, isn’t it embarrassing for you and everyone within institutions not to hold yourselves responsible and resign in conditions when the disco had operated without a license for an entire year? Whose responsibility was it to check that if not yours? Whose, if not yours and of all inspectorates you head, to check, for an entire year, whether there were irregularities in operations?
Further, answer: How come when police were there, as you yourself said, they didn’t shut down the disco that was obviously operating beyond all prescribed standards? How can a disco that had never previously, not even with the old licenses, been allowed to be open after 1 am was open until 3 am? Events had been organized there every weekend. Don’t you think at all that someone should have checked so far?
Further, the Protection and Rescue Directorate is required to make safety standard checks once every year of all facilities. Was that done and how was this disco allowed to operate? Further, as seen in the videos, the fire was caused by pyrotechnics. Why are you silent about the Interior Ministry issuing that and conducting controls over these companies and managing that? Has someone within the Interior Ministry been detained, and, if so, who, for activation of pyrotechnic materials inside a disco without an active license?
The accountability here fully falls to the interior Ministry, why are you silent over this? Is it true that in the summer, this disco was renovated and put into use? Who provided the consent for that? You were in power at a central and local level. Who allowed a facility without licence to be renovated and put into use? Is the Municipality, which you say doesn’t have any accountability, accountable here and what is it accountable for?”.
In response, VMRO-DPMNE said it was focused exclusively on the truth, accountability, and justice and that it didn’t want to engage in trading political accusations.
