The trial over the Kochani nightclub fire continued Wednesday at the facilities of the Criminal Court in the Idrizovo Prison. At the hearing, defense lawyers of former Economy Ministers, Xhevair Kamberi, Kreshnik Bekteshi and Valon Saraqini presented their opening arguments.
Kamberi’s lawyer Naser Raufi said that the indictment against his client has been grounded upon hunches, and not upon concrete evidence, adding that Kamberi had no legal obligation to conduct field analyses over the building where the nightclub was located and whether it meets the minimum prescribed conditions to function as such.
He also argued that a transaction of Mden 12,000 Kamberi conducted cannot be treated as bribery in this case, because it has been done via banking account, in form of loan.
Bekteshi’s lawyer argued that there are no legal elements that have obliged his client to conduct inspections, and that the main reason for the fire was the irregular use of pyrotechnics, which falls under the authorizations of the Ministry of Interior.
Saraqini’s lawyer claimed that the license issued for the nigh club in 2012, with validity of one year only, did not allow the legal entity Classic M to do business on a different location or to function as a night club instead of a cabaret, nor to accept guests over the prescribed limit.
Before this, the lawyers of former Directors of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, Adnan Dzaferoski and Shaban Saliu, also presented their opening arguments, claiming that the indictment against their clients is not legally grounded, arguing that systematic liabilities cannot result with criminal responsibility.
In the Kochani fire that occurred on March 16 2025, 63 people lost their lives and over 200 were severely injured, many of which children under the age of 18.