Public Prosecutor: Cause of the tragedy in Kočani - general erosion of the system and deep systemic corruption

Kocevski told Politika that the consequences should now be faced, those responsible for the disaster should be punished and thus prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

He stated that North Macedonia has faced many tragic events in recent years and that almost all of them have in common that in addition to the direct cause of the disaster, there is often an additional reason in the form of disrespect for the law and systemic corruption, which greatly increases the catastrophic consequences.

"'But what is very painful in this case is that the consequences are devastating. Kočani is a small town in the east of the country. In this tragedy, in just one night, we lost almost an entire generation of young people from that small town, and from a sociological point of view, I would say that it is a collective tragedy that is difficult for our people to bear,'" stated Kocevski.

When asked whether, based on the information of the investigation, the competent authorities were informed about that meeting and whether they performed their professional duties as required by that meeting, Kocevski stated that all of this will be checked in detail as part of the investigation. All those laws and regulations existed on paper, and so far we have found almost none of them being respected.

He added that in this case, there are currently 28 persons in the status of suspects, three of whom are in hospital, 18 are detained in pre-trial proceedings, and seven police officers are under investigation and are also in custody.

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He pointed out that evidence is collected in statements and in material form, but also in the form of expertise and professional opinions from certain fields. All this evidence so far points to suspicions of the basic criminal offense - serious crimes against general safety due to direct endangerment of the life and body of a person, for which the punishment is up to 20 years.

As he said, the giving and receiving of bribes, illegality in the procurement of pyrotechnics as well as several other criminal acts are also being investigated.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Kocevski stated that he promised the citizens that the investigation would be quick and efficient and emphasized that he would fulfill it, as well as that the investigation would be comprehensive and that it would involve anyone who is found to have committed any criminal act and thereby contributed to the terrible consequences of the accident in Kočani.

"Those who bear part of the blame for the disaster by inaction and failing to fulfill their official duties will also be held accountable. This disregard for the law has been tolerated for too long, and the outcome is devastating for all of us. Now everyone is looking for justice and justice must be served,'' Kocevski emphasized.

Speaking about the support for the prosecution of North Macedonia after the tragedy in Kočani, Kocevski pointed out that messages of condolence arrived from the first moment from all sides, primarily from colleagues from the region, but also from other countries and that everyone offered help because, as he stated, the scale of that tragedy affected many.

He stated that North Macedonia lost many young lives in one night and that many were seriously injured.

"I am grateful for the offered professional help from abroad, but at this moment there is no need for it. As a citizen of this country, not a prosecutor, I thank everyone for any form of assistance regarding this disaster. First of all, I am referring to the medical assistance for the treatment and saving the lives of the seriously injured, as provided by many countries, including Serbia,'' said Kocevski.

He emphasized that the tragedy in Kočani has the dimensions of a national disaster and that there is no place for politics, as well as that this type of misuse of the tragedy is absolutely unacceptable.

"We must be united because our common goal is to punish all those responsible and ensure that this kind of tragedy never happens again," Kocevski said.

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