Dejan "Deko" Jovanov's daughter Magdalena to be first defence witness in Puls trial
Defence will summon 16 witnesses; prosecutors say the list arrived only at the hearing.
Magdalena Jovanova, the daughter of Dejan Jovanov — known as "Deko", is expected to be the first witness called by the defence at today's hearing in the trial over the fatal fire at the Puls nightclub in Kocani.
Prosecutors' reaction and the defence witness list
The Public Prosecutor's Office objected after receiving the defence's list of witnesses only at the hearing, saying the late submission undermines equality of arms in the procedure. Prosecutors stressed that Jovanov must not receive privileged treatment, regardless of whether he is the first- or last-named defendant in the case.
Jovanov's defence lawyer replied that witnesses were summoned for the same hearing to allow their testimony to begin immediately after the experts' examinations, in order to avoid unnecessary delays in the procedure.
The lawyer also said that four people were withdrawn from the initial list; the defence will now call a total of 16 witnesses in support of Jovanov. Proposed witnesses include employees of the Municipality of Kocani, officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, firefighters and persons involved in the renovation of the Puls nightclub.
The trial will continue with the defence's evidentiary procedure.
Photo: Chesta1313 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
