What is happening now in North Macedonia regarding the investigation of the incident at the “Pulse“ disco in Kocani, which claimed 59 victims? How many such sites have already been inspected, what are the authorities doing… Gotse Todev, chairman of the Independent Police Union in the Republic of North Macedonia and member of the assembly of the International Police Organization (IPO), spoke to FACT.
- Mr. Todev, the Republic of North Macedonia is in mourning because of the tragedy at the disco in Kocani. The incident is terrible, but what should be the lessons from what happened?
- Look, the tragedy is more than terrible. The tragedy is such that the whole world saw how the problems in North Macedonia have been going on for many years and their solution is only being postponed. Now the problems of society are surfacing, but the young people are suffering, the innocent are suffering, those who do not know what and how is decided in the administration are suffering. The lessons can be clear. Anyone who has a connection with official institutions such as the City Hall, the Revenue Agency, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Interior - they all have a role, because they issue all kinds of documents so that a license can finally be issued and someone can work, they must be honest. Every person from the institutions must be extremely serious in their work, when things depend on them, they must understand what their responsibility is. Everyone who considers themselves a professional should do their job responsibly, because people's lives depend on the signatures of different people, on the signatures of politicians, as we have seen.
- How far has the investigation gone? What is the latest information you have? Did the discotheque have documents, didn't it…
- Look, we have a situation in which from the first day of the tragedy, when it comes to documents that were requested, handed over, signed by all the responsible persons, it turns out that different institutions were tied like pig intestines to each other. I have information about one of the lawyers of one of the discotheque owners, that he is the brother of a deputy in the Macedonian parliament. All their games, all their scams that were tied up in the past, will now come out, because the truth will come out. There is information that a large number of those detained in custody have already been questioned, and there are those who had no connection to this whole tragedy, but are connected to documents of the disco from previous years. Some of the detainees may be used as a kind of mask for the whole situation, in order to cover up the whole picture.
- 34 people have been detained, right?
- That's right, but keep in mind that this number may be higher, because since 2012 different people have changed in different responsible positions. These are people who in the past were connected with the issuance of documents, on the basis of which the license was eventually issued. The disco's license was valid for one year. It had to be renewed every year. And it turns out that the disco's license had not been renewed since last year. The license of the disco in Kochani was valid until March 2024.
- It is valid for 2024, but not for 2025. Is that how it turns out...
- Exactly. It turns out that the owner did it himself with his people for 2024. There is such official information.
We are currently witnessing this, and my advice is to provide very clear and verified information, even from the ministers, from the people who currently lead the Republic of North Macedonia, so that we can have a clear picture of the entire situation. And I am glad that even media from abroad - like yours - are looking for information so that nothing can be hidden. Everyone must be careful, society must be careful so that everything is according to the laws of North Macedonia.
- Are inspections being carried out in other discos and other entertainment venues?
- Yes, and a lot. The Ministry of Transport announced that over 550 establishments have been inspected in the days since the incident. It is difficult to say the exact number, because new and new inspections are carried out every day. The tendency is to carry out inspections of all such establishments that are related to this type of entertainment on the territory of the country. From the inspections carried out so far, it turns out that there are establishments that do not have the necessary permits and licenses. They may also be part of some scheme for issuing these licenses. I hope that work is already being done at a high level to clear up these problems, because we have lost 59 lives. I sincerely hope that everything that is being done now will make sure that such problems do not happen again. Let's do a basic inspection now, to clear up everything that happened, so that there are no more such tragedies. Fortunately, I think so, but many people also think so in North Macedonia. People want at this moment to clear up all the negative things that have happened in North Macedonia in the last 35 years. Now is the time to clear up all the problems from the past and start fresh!