The KRIK investigative outlet reports that the Court of Appeal in Belgrade has annulled the decision confirming the indictment related to the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, a tragedy that killed 16 people on November 1, 2024.
According to the court’s ruling, the indictment must now be reconsidered, after judges determined that the first-instance court failed to verify whether the indictment had been filed by an authorized prosecutor. The charges were originally submitted in March last year.
The appellate court also accepted appeals filed by defense lawyers, including those representing Slobodanka Katanić, a manager at the state company Infrastrukture Železnice Srbije. This marks the second time the appeals court has overturned confirmation of the indictment for the same procedural reasons.
What the Indictment Alleges
Prosecutors accuse three officials of allowing the station to open to passengers despite knowing that reconstruction works were incomplete and that the building was not stable, potentially endangering lives.
Besides Katanić, the indictment also names:
- Milutin Savović, chairman of the technical inspection commission
- Biljana Krstić, a commission member
All three are charged with negligence in duty, abuse of office, and serious offenses against public safety.
According to the indictment, Katanić was responsible for coordinating and overseeing the reconstruction project of the railway line from Novi Sad to the Hungarian border, which included the renovation of the station building. Prosecutors claim she knew the technical inspection report was flawed and that works had not been completed, yet still approved steps that allowed part of the building — including the canopy area — to open to passengers.
Parallel Investigations Continue
In addition to this case, separate investigations are ongoing. Prosecutors in Novi Sad are examining the collapse itself, while the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime is conducting a financial investigation into the railway modernization project.
The broader probe has also involved former construction ministers Goran Vesić and Tomislav Momirović, with authorities suspecting that the state budget may have been damaged by up to $115 million in connection with the project.
Despite these investigations, progress in several proceedings has been limited, and some earlier charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.
