Detention extended for suspects in Gostivar water contamination; Klekovski shows Tetovo lab documents

Court in Gostivar extends detention for three suspects in drinking-water contamination case; Health minister shows Public Health Center Tetovo reports

Judge ordered a 30-day extension of pre-trial detention for former Komunalec director Artana Asani and two other company managers; authorities continue laboratory and institutional checks.

The Basic Court in Gostivar decided to prolong the detention of the former director of the municipal utility Komunalec, Artana Asani, and two other managers who are suspected in the case over contamination of the drinking-water supply. The court accepted the prosecution’s request and ordered that the three remain in custody for another 30 days.

The defence said an appeal will be filed. "Artana Asani and Leon Nuredini are suspended from work and cannot repeat the criminal offence they are charged with. Both have given statements before the public prosecutor and meet the conditions for house arrest. We have also submitted a request to replace detention with house arrest," said Fatmir Alili, lawyer for two of the suspects.

Investigation and sampling continued; ministry delivered tetovo lab documents

The prosecution said the investigation is ongoing and that it will keep collecting and analysing evidence. The Ministry of Health issued recommendations to Komunalec Gostivar and to municipal sanitary inspectors and other competent inspection bodies, including continuous monitoring of chlorine levels and installation of automated systems to measure, track and graph parameters relevant to the disinfection process.

At a press briefing the minister of health presented to journalists the results from the Public Health Center Tetovo, which falls under the ministry’s competence; those tests were done in the days before the water was allowed again for drinking, and the ministry additionally sent analyses covering the full year by e‑mail. The minister said he was not authorised to publish analyses from the Center for Crisis Management and the Food and Veterinary Agency. ([scribd.com](https://www.scribd.com/document/954123098/%D0%98%D0%97%D0%88%D0%90%D0%92%D0%90-%D0%A7%D0%9B%D0%95%D0%9D-88?utm_source=openai))

According to the minister, three laboratories worked on the analyses. "Three laboratories worked. This is only what was done by Public Health Center Tetovo. There were two other laboratories producing parallel reports," he said, and confirmed that the results of the three reports are consistent. "The epidemiological report is ready but we are waiting for institutional reactions because other institutions are involved — the Municipality of Gostivar, the prosecution, the Food and Veterinary Agency, the Center for Crisis Management — and we will be delayed by a few days," Sasho Klekovski added. ([scribd.com](https://www.scribd.com/document/954123098/%D0%98%D0%97%D0%88%D0%90%D0%92%D0%90-%D0%A7%D0%9B%D0%95%D0%9D-88?utm_source=openai))

Opposition SDSM criticised the government’s communication. "For five weeks the authorities have claimed the water is safe, yet for five weeks there has been no public document to confirm that. Instead of experts and competent institutions, for five weeks we have seen police officers dealing with water. There is no expert who will stand before the public. There is no institution that will confirm with a signature and a seal that the water is safe," said Natasha Popovic of SDSM.

Separately, Valdet Dzaferi, chair of the Gostivar municipal council, told broadcasters by phone that a council session is scheduled for 31 August to discuss, among other issues, the possibility of exempting residents from water bills for the months when the supply was unfit for drinking and use.

Photo: press material from the event