Former Construction Minister Goran Vesic (left) and President Aleksandar Vucic in a train purchased from China in Belgrade, June 2024. Photo: Instagram/@izgradnjasrbije
The Higher Court in Novi Sad on Wednesday rejected part of the indictment related to the Novi Sad railway station outdoor canopy collapse in November 2024, which killed 16 people and sparked a mass protest movement that has shaken the government.
Criminal proceedings were discontinued against six people, including Goran Vesic, who was the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure at the time of the renovation of the station that preceded the infrastructural collapse.
The court “found there was insufficient evidence to establish a reasonable suspicion that the accused committed the criminal offences charged”, it said.
The court confirmed charges for seven other defendants under the same indictment filed by the Higher Prosecution Office.
Besides Vesic, the proceedings were terminated against the acting director of Serbian Railways Infrastructure at the time, Jelena Tanaskovic, then acting assistant construction minister Anita Dimoski and three other expert supervisors. Their house arrest was cancelled.
However, Vesic and Dimoski are under house arrest according to a decision by the Higher Court in Belgrade related to a different case, in which the indictment is about the alleged corruption elements of the case.
In the Novi Sad court case, the indictment was confirmed against Nebojsa Surlan, director of Serbian Railways Infrastructure when Novi Sad station was being renovated, and six more representatives of construction design companies, construction contractors and technical supervisors.
The court stated that there is a justified suspicion that the collapse of the canopy was a consequence of the works carried out by the investor and the contractor. “The condition of the structure should have been determined prior to the execution of the works, which would have completely prevented the collapse of the canopy,” it said.
The Higher Prosecution Office in Novi Sad filed an amended indictment in September, charging Vesic and 12 others after the first version was rejected by the court and returned for further investigation.
The Higher Court on Wednesday criticised the prosecution’s supplementary investigation.
“The prosecution merely carried out the supplementary investigation in a technical manner, collecting evidence and questioning witnesses and experts indicated by the court … without subsequently analysing the results obtained by the supplementary investigation and applying them in the new indictment,” the court statement said.
The court’s decision to dismiss the indictment can be appealed.
The November 2024 disaster caused mass protests – which are still ongoing – about alleged official corruption and negligence. The protests have constituted the biggest challenge to the rule of the Serbian Progressive Party since it came to power in 2012.