Year in Jail for Macedonian Tour Boat Captain

The boat captain Sotir Fileski pleaded not guilty

A court in the Macedonian resort town also sentenced Branko Baic, the representative of the German insurance company Lloyd’s, to a year in jail.

Both defendants were ordered to pay a total of 42.000 euros in damages and compensation to the victims’ families within the next 15 days.
 
The court ruled that Fileski broke regulations by failing to maintain the boat’s steering system properly, and engaging a crew that was inadequate for the vessel. On the day of the accident, the Ilinden was also carrying more passengers than legally allowed.
 
Baic was found guilty of issuing a certificate that the ship was in a proper condition, despite being aware of its mechanical deficiencies.

After the verdict, Fileski briefly told local media that he was not feeling guilty.

During the trial, which started in February, Fileski’s defense insisted that he was innocent, blaming the inspector who checked his ship, Baic, for not telling him of any irregularities.

Slavko Koteski, Baic’s lawyer, described the verdict as “a sort of compromise” between what had been presented in evidence and his efforts to win acquittal for his client.

The accident was deemed the worst sailing disaster in Macedonia's history

The trial followed a lengthy official inquiry that found the boat was not seaworthy. The investigation determined that the accident was caused by a torn balancing rope, overloading of the ship and incorrect distribution of the people on board.
 
The accident, deemed the worst sailing disaster in Macedonia’s history, happened on September 5, 2009 when the overcrowded boat capsized and sunk some 200 meters from the shore. Of the 56 passengers on board, 15 perished.

The boat had started from the Ohrid town harbor and was headed for the famed St. Naum monastery near the Albanian border.
 
The Ilinden was built in 1924 in Regensburg, Germany, as a military vessel, and later converted into a tourist ship.