On Monday, the first hearing was held in the trial of nine police officers accused in the Kochani fire. According to the charge, they committed abuse of official position and authority, i.e., over a period of one year, they did not carry out the required actions and didn’t make the required checks aimed at protecting public safety, even though that was required for the Pulse nightclub to obtain a license.
The Prosecutor’s Office said the officers hadn’t made appropriate checks regarding the records of public order and peace violations and when it came to field inspections related to traffic safety. All nine defendants pleaded not guilty.
Part of the defense accused the system of employing selective justice. Three separate proceedings are being conducted against police officers in the Kochani fire case, according to three different categories of charges.