The number of people detained for 48 hours in connection with the fire at a disco in Kočani has increased to 17, announced State Public Prosecutor Ljupčo Kočevski.
“Another person has been detained for up to 48 hours in connection with the tragedy in Kočani, bringing the total number of people covered by this measure to 17. For some of those who were previously given this measure, it expired last night,” said Kočevski.
He announced a swift and efficient investigation that will be conducted in the most professional manner. According to him, this is a very difficult, complicated case with many victims.
“I promised and I will keep that promise that the investigation will be quick and efficient. However, that does not mean that there will be a rush. All evidence must be collected in a legal way, the evidence must have probative value, that is, be obtained in a legal way, which means that the prosecution team is acting very cautiously and very carefully,” said Kočevski last night in a statement for Skopje TV Sitel.
Among those detained who were detained for 48 hours are former Minister of Economy Krešnik Bekteši and former Director of the Market Inspectorate Goran Trajkovski.
FIND OUT MORE IN ENGLISH:
The short-term detention measure is proposed in particularly complex cases, when it is necessary to collect a large amount of evidence to examine all the circumstances and possibly formally initiate an investigation.
This measure, provided for in Article 170 of the Criminal Procedure Code, can be imposed a maximum of two times, for a duration of 48 hours, without issuing an order to conduct an investigative procedure.
This allows the public prosecutor to detain the suspect longer than the basic 24-hour police detention.
The purpose of this legal provision is to allow the public prosecutor sufficient time, especially in difficult and complex cases, to take all actions and establish the facts and circumstances, as well as the specifics and actions of the person who will be further examined in the investigative procedure.
After the formal opening of the investigation, the public prosecutor proposes new measures to secure the suspect, that is, the short-term detention is lifted and regular detention is most often ordered.
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Source: Euronews, Foto: EPA-EFE / Georgi Licovski