Dejan Jovanov's detention expires on October 3; defense to offer property guarantee

The defense of the first accused in the Pulse nightclub fire in Kočani, Dejan Jovanov, told the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje on September 14, 2026, that it will submit a property guarantee this week because his one-year pretrial detention will expire by operation of law on October 3, 2026.

Defense attorney Ivana Kocevska asked the court at today's hearing in the Idrizovo detention facility that a notary be allowed to visit Jovanov to notarize his consent to encumber the property that will be offered as part of the guarantee.

Defense: guarantee will secure presence and availability

“By operation of law, Dejan Jovanov's detention expires on October 3 and that is not the fault of the defense, but a matter of law. Considering that the court can only impose precautionary measures, we announce that during this week a proposal for setting a guarantee will be submitted,” Kocevska said.

Kocevska emphasized that the defense does not reject that there is responsibility on the part of Jovanov for the event, but insists his rights must be respected and that a fair procedure be guaranteed even in the most serious cases. “We do not deny Dejan's responsibility for the incident, but we demand that his rights be respected. A fair procedure and fair trial are not a privilege of the accused, but a guarantee and must be respected even in the most serious cases,” she said.

Responding to reporters during a break in the hearing, Kocevska reiterated that the defense contests the legal characterization of the crime and that, in their view, any culpability should be examined as negligence rather than intent. “We have not pleaded guilty during the proceedings for the simple reason that we dispute the legal qualification of the offence. We reject intent. By doing so we do not deny that responsibility exists concerning Dejan Jovanov. De facto there is responsibility, however not in the manner set out in the indictment. That is why we request that his rights be respected and that his responsibility be determined fairly,” she said.

Judge Diana Gruevska-Ilievska stressed that from the start of the trial the law and the rights of each party have been and will be respected. “It is true that not through any fault of yours, of the defense, nor of the Court, the one-year detention must end,” Judge Gruevska-Ilievska said.

The trial for the Pulse nightclub fire, in which 63 people died and more than 200 were injured during a performance by the band DNK on March 16, 2025, continued with additional questioning by the prosecution of the construction experts who prepared the prosecution's engineering expertise. The case is currently in the evidentiary phase before Judge Gruevska-Ilievska, with a prosecution team of 15 public prosecutors.

The prosecution's presentation of evidence is expected to conclude with testimony from the expert team that prepared the engineering report at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje; after that, the defense will begin to present its evidence.

Photo: press material from the event