North Macedonian police on Friday detained around 20 people, including three former economy ministers, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the deadly fire at the Puls nightclub in the eastern town of Kočani.
Among those detained are current and former officials from the Directorate for Protection and Rescue (DPR), including a current minister without portfolio, police said, acting on orders from the public prosecutor’s office. One suspect is reportedly outside the country.
Unofficial sources named suspects as Bekim Neziri and Valjon Saracini, both former economy ministers affiliated with the opposition Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), as well as former DPR director Shaban Saliu, now serving as a minister without portfolio. The current DPR director, Dzevat Selami, a member of the VLEN coalition, is also among those under investigation.
Also named is Driton Kuqi, North Macedonia’s ambassador to Norway and a former economy minister. In a statement posted on social media, Kuqi said he would return to Skopje immediately.
“I believe in justice for the greater good. I will be in Skopje on the first available flight—not to defend myself, but to reaffirm that transparency and trust are the only way forward. I stand here, with a clear conscience and firm resolve—before God and the laws of the state,” Kuqi wrote.
The Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed only that the arrests were part of an operation linked to the expansion of the investigation into the Kočani fire.
“By order of the public prosecutor, an operation is underway to detain several individuals as part of the expanded investigation into the Kočani fire. Relevant institutions will inform the public once ongoing procedures are completed,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.
The current wave of arrests reportedly includes all economy ministers and SSO directors who held office since 2012, the year the Puls nightclub began operating—except for current Economy Minister Besar Durmishi.
To date, 33 people have been charged in relation to the nightclub fire, which killed several people. Kočani Mayor Ljupcho Papazov remains in custody, while his predecessors Ratko Dimitrievski and Nikolcho Iliev are under house arrest.
Others detained earlier include former Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, former State Market Inspectorate head Goran Trajkovski, the nightclub’s owner, members of the security staff, and several police officers.
