Police in Northern Macedonia today arrested 23 more people, who allegedly involved in the illegal nightclub in Kotsani, where on March 16, a fire broke out where 61 people, in the most part of their young people.

In the past, Northern Macedonia police had arrested 33 people who are temporarily held.

Among those arrested today is three former ministers of economics(of which one is today’s Northern Macedonian ambassador to Norway)I and the former head of the Civil Protection Directorate. The latter is currently a minister without portfolio, responsible for joining and implementing the strategy for the inclusion of Roma 2022-2030.

The detainees were brought before the investigator to Kotsani, who will decide on their temporary detention or not.

The three former Ministers of Economy arrested today come from the ranks of the largest and opposition Albanian DUI party in Northern Macedonia, led by Ali Ahmeti. From the ranks of this party comes another former finance minister of the country, who was arrested in the first few days after the tragic incident in Kotsani. Essentially all the country’s finance ministers were arrested since 2012 when the nightclub was operating, but not today’s, who took over his duties in June 2024 and comes from the ranks of the co -existing Albanian coalition “Vlen” (worth it).

The Ministry of Economy issues operating licenses for the operation of health stores. The “Pulse” club in Kotsani where the fire broke out was operating with a falsified license, but with a genuine stamp of the Ministry of Economy.

Ali Ahmeti’s party, commenting on his arrests of his members, spoke of “unprecedented attack on Albanians“In Northern Macedonia, attributing the country’s prime minister, Christian Mitskoski, and the Interior Minister, with the aim, as the party stated, the dismissal of responsibilities for the incident in the nightclub and the marginalization of the Albanian element.

DUI added that ‘will take all necessary steps to prevent this attack on the Albanians from continuing to ensure justice for the Albanian people in the country“

Ali Ahmeti’s party has participated in all coalition governments in the country for all the previous 20 years. In the last parliamentary elections held in Northern Macedonia in May 2024, the Vlen coalition occupied 14 seats, while the coalition under Ali Ahmeti’s DUI party secured 18 seats. However, the Prime Minister of the country and leader of the Right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party, Christian Mitskoski, chose as his partner in the government from the Albanian political bloc on the Vlen Coalition, claiming that the DUI, which had been involved in the Coalition of the Coalition, had been involved in the Coalition of the Coalition. in the country.