The trial for the fire at the so-called "Pulse" cabaret in Kocani continued today in the courtroom of the "Idrizovo" prison. Before the start of the session, the defense of the first defendant, the owner of "Pulse", Dejan Jovanov Deko, requested that his detention be replaced with house arrest due to the serious and alarming deterioration of his health condition, Gazeta Express reports from Portalb.mk.
Deko's defense attorney, attorney Ivana Kocevska, stated that "the detention measure does not correspond to the purpose, this is not a measure to ensure presence, but a punishment before trial."
"Improvised treatment in prison conditions guarantees catastrophic consequences due to inadequate conditions, especially when his health is constantly deteriorating," Kocevska said.
She said that the court is aware of the defendant's health condition and emphasized that her client was brought to court with an open wound after surgery, directly from hospital conditions.
"This has exceeded all human limits of humane treatment and I believe it is necessary to lift his pre-trial detention and replace it with house arrest. Selective application of this measure, only against two out of a total of 34 people accused of the same criminal offense, although Dejani is in a worse state of health. The pre-trial detention measure does not correspond to the purpose, this is not a measure to ensure presence, but a punishment before the trial," said Kocevska.
Judge Dijana Gruevska-Ilievska responded to the defense's requests, stressing that the court is aware of the situation. According to her, the defendant underwent surgery on Friday with his consent, and doctors recommended strict bed rest for only three days.
"They were approved and that is why he was released today. We do not have such information from the prison doctor, and we are acting accordingly," Gruevska-Ilievska said.
The Public Prosecution Office said it has heard the charges and after reviewing the documentation at the end of today's session, it will decide whether to give a statement or do so in writing.
Earlier in March this year, Jovanov's lawyer requested his transfer from Kumanovo prison to Idrizovo. As a reason for such a request to the Court, she stated that the prison staff at Kumanovo prison behaved in a degrading, inhuman and humiliating manner towards the defendant.
In the written letter from Kumanovo Prison to the court, it was stated that the first defendant Jovanov was interviewed by the Kumanovo Prison management team, during which it was concluded that he had no problems with any of the employees at the institution.
The fire in Kocani broke out on the night of March 15-16, resulting in 63 deaths and injuring almost 200 others. Eight months after the accident, 37 defendants sat in the dock, of whom 34 were individuals and three were legal entities. Bar owners, managers, inspectors, security guards, civil servants and former mayors are accused.
At the beginning of the trial, all pleaded not guilty and disputed the defense's thesis that there was a causal relationship, or cause-and-effect relationship, between their actions and the cause of the deadly fire.
The trial will be presided over by Judge Diana Gruevska-Ilievska.
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