Public Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski says that the investigation into the tragic event in Kocani has exposed serious systemic weaknesses that have accumulated in institutions for years.
He emphasized on the show "Noqno Studio" that in such cases, prosecutors must act carefully and without room for error, because any omission can have serious consequences.
“As a prosecutor in a case like this, you shouldn’t make mistakes. You shouldn’t make mistakes with the investigation, nor with other actions. As the evidence was collected, it became clear how much erosion there is in the system. As you dig through the evidence, the systemic flaws just come to the surface. It seems disappointing, but you have to take all actions,” Kocevski said.
According to him, the evidence shows that the system is seriously broken and that the tragedy should be a strong warning for the future.
"Such a tragedy should not happen again. Time will tell if any lessons will be learned from this. Personally, I hope so, but I am not very optimistic," he added.
Kocevski also revealed that for some of the accused, in addition to the main crime, there is evidence of other, lesser crimes, which further demonstrates, as he said, "the porosity of the system."
He also referred to the conditions in which prosecutors worked during the investigation, emphasizing that the team worked under strong time pressure.
"Given the threatened punishment for the crime, the investigation had to be completed in less than three months. At the request of the prosecutors, I increased the number of prosecutors engaged because we were limited by deadlines. They worked on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays in order to complete the procedure on time," said Kocevski.
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