Trial Postponed in Macedonia Boat Capsize Case

The trial was due to start on Tuesday in Ohrid. Local media reported that the hearing was postponed because one of the key defendants in the case did not show up.

The first hearing, scheduled for October 2010, was postponed because Branko Baic, the representative of the German company Lloyd which issued the certificates ensuring the seaworthiness of the Ilinden, failed to appear in the courtroom.

Baic allegedly issued the documents ensuring the seaworthiness of Ilinden. The last certificate was issued only four months before the boat sunk.

After the accident, the vessel's captain, Filevski was arrested immediately and was held in custody for 30 days. He is currently under house arrest.

At the time of the tragedy, there were 54 Bulgarian tourists and three crew members on board. The tourists were going on a trip to the Monastery of Saint Naum, situated south of the city of Ohrid. Ilinden was 200 metres from shore when it sank into the deepest lake in the region, and a popular Balkans tourist attraction. 

According to the official documents, the vessel had the capacity to carry 43 people.

The cause of the sinking has been variously attributed to overloading, a torn balancing rope, incorrect distribution of the people on board, and mistakes by the captain.

The Bulgarian organiser of the ill-fated trip to Ohrid a year ago, Boryana Georgieva, has already been sentenced by a court in Bulgaria for carrying out business activities in violation of the Tourism Act. She was ordered to pay a fine of BGN 4 500, and was banned from commercial activity for two years.