section_path: Legal
section_name: Legal
paragraph_text: Legal
  
  As of 13 April 2025, 52 people and three companies have been placed under investigation over the fire. At least 34 people have been identified as suspects, with 27 people and three entities being criminally investigated. Former Ministry of Economy State Secretary Razmena Čekić Đurović was arrested after investigators discovered she signed the forged license the nightclub was operating under. Authorities confirmed that the Pulse Nightclub's license document was not found in the government's license database, even though it was issued on official government stationery and was signed by employees of the Ministry of Economy. The owner of the nightclub, Dejan Jovanov, was arrested, as were his son, wife, and daughter. Jovanov's residence, vehicle, and businesses were searched by police, and electronic devices and "documentation" found in his home were seized.
  
  On 20 March, seven police officers were arrested for having allegedly "prepared, signed, and approved" a consent form for the nightclub to obtain a catering license, even though the club did not meet the minimum requirements to do so. Seven additional police officers were arrested on 15 April, all of them either employees of the Štip department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or Kočani police. Five of the officers were retired, while two were still working for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Three former mayors of Kočani were arrested on 20 March – Ratko Dimitrovski, Nikolčo Iliev, and Ljupčo Papazov (who had resigned after the fire) – under suspicion of involvement with the illegal operations of the nightclub. They were charged with failing to prevent the nightclub from continuing to illegally operate. As of 17 April 2025, Dimitrovski, Iliev, and Papazov are under house arrest. Papazov was initially imprisoned.
  
  On 17 March, former State Market Inspectorate Director Goran Trajkovski was also arrested. On the same day, former Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi was arrested, questioned at a Skopje police station, and brought to testify before a pre-trial judge; though Bekteshi's wife claims that he turned himself in instead of being arrested. Toškovski said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs would file criminal charges against Bekteshi after the investigation is completed. On 25 March, the nightclub owner's wife and daughter were arrested. On 12 April, former Ministers of Economy Valon Saraçini and Bekim Neziri and Director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue Šaban Saliu were arrested.
  
  On 1 May, Kocevski announced that Vladimir Blažev, the only surviving member of DNK, was a suspect in the investigation for allegedly illegally importing pyrotechnics into North Macedonia. On 7 May, Kocevski announced the expansion of the investigation to 70 suspects. On 13 June, charges were filed against 34 people and three legal entities, mostly for "grave acts against public security", while one individual was also charged with "soliciting bribery".