Novi Sad appeals court upholds indictment in railway station tragedy case

NOVI SAD - The Appeals Court in Novi Sad has reversed a first-instance court ruling halting proceedings against former Serbian government minister Goran Vesic and other people accused in the railway station tragedy case and upheld an indictment raised by a prosecutor's office.

The court upheld an appeal by the higher public prosecutor in Novi Sad, reversing a ruling whereby the Higher Court in Novi Sad rejected a part of an indictment against Jelena Tanaskovic, Goran Vesic, Anita Dimoski, Milan Spremic, Marina Gavrilovic and Dejan Todorovic, and upheld the higher public prosecutor's indictment, the court announced on its website on Monday.

On the other hand, the court rejected as unfounded appeals filed by the defence attorneys of Nebojsa Surlan, Slobodan Naumovic, Milan Jelkic, Ljiljana Milic Markovic, Jasna Stojiljkovic Milic, Zorica Slavkovic Marjanovic and Dusan Jankovic.

Last September, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad indicted 13 people, while the Higher Court in Novi Sad indicted seven people last December, halting proceedings against six other people.

Tanaskovic, Vesic, Dimoski and Surlan were indicted for a serious crime against general safety in conjunction with the criminal offence of causing general danger, with Naumovic, Jelkic, Milic Markovic, Spremic, Stojiljkovic Milic, Slavkovic Marjanovic, Jankovic, Gavrilovic and Todorovic indicted for a serious crime against general safety in conjunction with the criminal offence of illegal and improper execution of construction works.

Sixteen people were killed and another person was seriously injured in a November 1, 2024 canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station.