English
Former Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski today denied reports that he intervened with the regional Stip – Kocani police to stop inspections into the Pulse nightclub in Kocani, which burnt down in March with catastrophic loss of life. A news outlet reporeted that the prosecution ignored messages on the phones of the club owner and his son, in which they are discussing who in the SDSM party can intervene on their behalf to keep the nightclub open despite its numerous violations. In one of the messages, the owner’s son says that Spasovski called Stip police to put pressure on the Kocani police and stop the investigations.
I strongly denounce the lies and manipulations that VMRO-DPMNE is placing in the public. I reject them as complete untruths. This is a classic example of desperate manipulation. Never, at no point, did I call to prevent an inspection, Spasovski said.
In an earlier press conference, VMRO-DPMNE spokeswoman Viktorija Andonovska called on the state prosecutors, led by SDSM loyalist Ljupco Kocevski, to reveal what they know about the messages that were not included in the charges he filed.
The media reports are shocking and disturbing, and they point to the involvement of top SDS party officials in the illegal operation of the Pulse nightclub. According to the reports, Oliver Spasovski intervened to tell the police to back off from the club. In one message, Spasovski was consulted about a fine that the club was supposed to pay. A fine of 40,000 EUR was supposed to be collected by the tax authority. Are state prosecutors and Ljupco Kocevski covering for Oliver Spasovski? They must not remain silent, Andonovska said.
