During the hearing in the Kochani fire trial, defendant Dejan Jovanov (a.k.a. Deko), said he was surprised why his son, too, was among those charged. He also said he couldn’t believe what had happened on March 16. In its opening statements, his defense pointed the finger at DNK, saying the band hadn’t notified him that pyrotechnics would be used during the performance.
Also, according to his attorney, Jovanov couldn’t have been aware of oversights at the nightclub since he is no expert, while relevant institutions were supposed to conduct regular controls and point to irregularities in order for them to be overcome. He could only be held to account for negligence, she added.
According to part of the other defendants, the charge is either legally unfounded or politically fabricated. Facility owner Grozdan Milkovski’s attorney said it would be proven he’d had valid documentation during the issue process and he hadn’t provided consent for adaptation of the interior.