Prosecutors for organised crime to take over corruption probe in Novi Sad tragedy

BELGRADE - Serbia's Supreme Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac has decided that cases of several potential corruption-related criminal offences committed in all actions of launching, planning, designing and executing works at the Novi Sad railway station and putting the station into commission be submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime.

An official statement said the decision was due to suspicion that criminal offences in the competence of state authorities in charge of prosecuting organised crime and terrorism had been committed during the process.

The statement noted that proceedings to determine the responsibility for the death of 15 people in an overhang collapse at the railway station, which are being conducted by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad, continued independently of this as a top priority and that an indictment against 13 people was expected to take effect soon.

"Supreme Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac avails of this opportunity, too, to invite representatives of student protests to a meeting to discuss the degree of fulfilment of their demands that are in the competence of the Public Prosecutor's Office," the statement said.

Former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesic is among the 13 people indicted for the tragic accident.