Durmis Beluli, owner of the Durmo bus company whose vehicle slid off the Skopje – Tetovo highway on Wednesday killing 14, confirmed that he was testing the vehicles in a facility also owned by him. The issue whether the bus was appropriately tested was raised by Republika, after it was revealed that Beluli is the owner of the AMZ testing facility, which is licensed to conduct the mandatory annual vehicle tests. This allowed the Durmo company to avoid going to an independently owned testing facility.

Yes, I own the two separate companies, Durmo tours and AMZ. They are two separate facilities and each operates on its own, Beluli said in a TV interview.

Meanwhile Rufat Husein, head of the State transportation inspection office, said that they are not able to order transportation companies to go to a certain testing facility, and that his job ends when it is determined that the company received proof that the vehicle passed the inspection, no matter where it was conducted.

It is not our job to tell the companies where to go. It would be like asking me whether Orce Kamcev gets treatment at the Sistina clinic, Husein said, referring to the businessman owner of the large Sistina clinic.

Husein would not respond to the questions whether having the same company offer transportation services and vehicle tests would allow the owner to cut corners and get a “clean bill of health” for a vehicle that may be experiencing costly mechanical problems.