While the fire in Zoran Zaev’s illegal building “Global” has been extinguished with 40-year old firefighting and communal vehicles, and the hospital in Strumica does not have an ambulance, Zaev’s private collection includes the most luxurious car in Macedonia – Maybach, worth 400,000 euros.
While the Strumica firefighting service is assisted by also thus old vehicles from all over the region, and the hospitals are begging for help on Facebook, the Zaev family owns 2 super-luxury Bentley cars, which cost almost 200,000 euros.
Zaev regularly drives 10 BMW engines, which were bought under the name of one of his companies, and only one engine costs 35,000 euros. The healthcare is in a desperate state, all public and state services are in a desperate state. There are no firefighting vehicles or equipment for firefighters.
On the day of the fire in Zaev’s illegal building in Strumica, on Saturday, January 2, Zaev spent the day on Mt. Belasica in the company of the Minister of Health Venko Filipce and their sons. Zaev and Filipce rode quads with their sons, demonstrating wealth and power. The trip came days after Zaev pledged to spend the New Year holidays in his pajamas, to give an example to the public on the importance of staying at home.
Meanwhile, “Global” was living its last day as illegal construction without a building and use permit. Firefighters who risked their lives the night there testify that the hydrants did not work, the firefighting system in “Global” was completely unusable. There were several hydrants in the mall hall but none of them had water.
But the situation with the hydrants near the mall was no better. They were either empty or their connections did not match the equipment of the firefighters. Therefore, eyewitnesses claim that the firefighters, instead of immediately dealing with the fire, went to the fire station several times to get water, thus wasting time. Employees at the mall also say that there were no sprinklers inside as well.
During his visit of the charred shopping mall in Strumica, Zaev called for humanity, solidarity and pledged the Government to help rebuild the “symbol of modern Strumica”.
Strumica was hit by a serious disaster, a fire that struck in the late hours yesterday. The entire shopping mall was threatened as were other homes in the densely populated part of the city. You saw how strong the blaze was. The damage is enormous, there are irreparable economic damage to businesses, and the marketplace. It’s good that there are no injuries and lives lost. To all who lost their livelihood here, Global is the center of the spirit of Strumica, Christmas is coming, days of solidarity, and we will all help to rebuild the economic life here, Zaev said.
Zaev’s political career was linked to the mall – he was charged with abuse of office after he approved the contract to have it built on land that was due to be returned to the families that owned it before the communist nationalization programs, and he gave the contract to a business partner, greatly undervaluing the land that the municipality was giving away for the deal. Zaev was pardoned for this case by then President Branko Crvenkovski in 2008.
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