Witness at trial of nine police officers: vehicle access in front of 'Puls' was "chaos"
An inspector testified that vehicle access in front of Puls was "chaos" and the owner told officers the licence would be brought on Monday; the defence says the original evidence from Štip is missing.
A witness from the Ministry of Interior testified today at the trial of nine police officers accused of abuse of office that the owner of the Puls nightclub, Dejan Jovanov, did not show his operating licence during a police inspection in 2023.
The witness — an inspector for foreigners from the Regional Center East who took part in action controls at Puls together with colleagues from other areas — told the court that the vehicle access in front of the club "was chaos": it was impassable and vehicles were parked on the street. She said her colleagues recorded any irregularities, such as disturbances of public order or minors, in their reports, but that she had no specific information about such findings from that inspection. She added that during the check on March 3, 2023 Zlatko Kuzmanovski, who was responsible for the action plan, asked in my presence to see the nightclub's operating licence.
Speaking about the owner, the witness said: "The licence was not shown to us nor presented for inspection by the owner Dejan Jovanov, who explained that it was very late to fetch the accountant because he was not at the premises of the disco and that he would bring it on Monday. He claimed that he had filed documents for the renewal of the operating licence 15 days earlier in Skopje and asserted at that moment that the licence was valid until 31 March 2023." — Despina Simeonova, witness.
Zlatko Kuzmanovski, who testified as well, is retired from the Kočani police station for three years. He said he was the shift leader at the time and that there were several public-order incidents, not inside Puls but outside, because the discotheque had solid security.
Fights reported outside the club, defence raises missing original evidence
As an illustration, Kuzmanovski told the court: "For example, they might quarrel inside the disco and later, when they are going home, the fight can take place in front of the disco, on the street or in a pastry shop where it continues," the witness said.
The defence objected again today because, six months after the request, they still have not received a key piece of evidence from the Štip police directorate (SVR Štip). The court has twice been notified that the original is not available and that only an identical copy is in the evidence file.
The three Ministry of Interior witnesses who testified today are the last ones proposed by the prosecution; the defence will now proceed with its evidentiary procedure. Separately, the trial against 13 police officers and commanders, charged with endangering public safety in connection with the fire at the Puls nightclub, was postponed on Monday because none of the four summoned witnesses appeared.
Elena Ivanovska Mukoska
Photo: press material from the event
