New probe into Puls owner Dejan Jovanov – Deko over alleged bribe for licence

The owner of the Puls nightclub in Kočani, Dejan Jovanov – Deko, is under investigation on suspicion that he paid a bribe to an official at the Ministry of Economy to obtain a hospitality licence, despite not having submitted an application and although the venue did not meet legal requirements.

New bribery probe and detention request

The Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Corruption has opened an investigation into one person for the criminal offence of giving a bribe, a crime punishable by one to ten years in prison. Prosecutors say the suspect bribed a Ministry of Economy official to illegally secure a licence for the hospitality business.

Jovanov is already in custody as an accused in the criminal case over the serious offences against public safety linked to the fire at Puls. Because legal deadlines for the existing detention measure are nearing expiry, prosecutors have now requested pretrial detention in the newly opened bribery investigation as well.

The prosecution cites flight risk and the fact that another criminal procedure is already pending against the suspect. The detention proposal was submitted late this afternoon to the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje.

Jovanov is due to be brought before a pretrial judge tomorrow at 10:00, when the court will decide on the prosecution's request. His lawyer, Ivana Kocevska, earlier confirmed that "it is accurate information that he is to be brought before a pretrial judge tomorrow," but said she did not know which investigation was involved; she interprets the move solely as pressure "to have effective detention at any cost" for her client.

The public official who, according to the prosecution, accepted the bribe from Deko has already been charged and is facing judicial proceedings for accepting a bribe.

Photo: press material from the event