Serbia arrests 11, including former minister, over Novi Sad train station canopy collapse

On Friday Serbian authorities arrested eleven individuals, including former Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Tomislav Momirović, in connection with the catastrophic collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad train station on 1 November 2024.

The tragedy, which claimed 16 lives, has been widely attributed to corruption and inadequate oversight during the station’s recent renovation. The incident triggered widespread student-led protests, the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, and the collapse of his government.

The Novi Sad prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the incident and the resulting deaths. In February 2025, the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office initiated a separate probe into alleged corruption tied to the project, leading to the arrests. Among those detained is Nebojša Šurlan, former CEO of the state-owned Serbian Railways Infrastructure Company. Former Transport Minister Goran Vesić, who resigned shortly after the collapse, is also wanted in the case but was hospitalized for emergency surgery on 28 July, according to Nova.rs.

The renovation project involved China Railway International and China Communications Construction (CRI-CCC), alongside France’s Egis and Hungary’s Utiber. Prosecutors allege that Momirović, Vesić, and three other suspects permitted CRI-CCC to overcharge $1.2 billion for the work and authorized additional contracts worth $64 million, resulting in illegal profits of over $18 million for the company.

The tragedy has fuelled public outrage, with protests intensifying across Serbia, including in Belgrade, to mark the nine-month anniversary of the collapse. Demonstrations, some drawing hundreds of thousands, have demanded transparency and early elections.

A student protester in Novi Sad stated, “This is a fight against a system that values human lives less than the money siphoned through corrupt public contracts.”

Opposition Democratic Party leader and MP Srđan Milivojević claimed on Saturday that the $115 million misappropriated in the railway project could not have occurred without the knowledge and approval of President Aleksandar Vučić.

Speaking to Beta, Milivojević accused Vučić of leading a “mafia organization” and personally benefiting from the alleged fraud. He cited past evidence, including a State Auditor’s report indicating Serbia lost €7 billion in a single year due to financial mismanagement, and claimed Vučić approved similar schemes, such as inflated costs for a highway project, as admitted by former Minister Zorana Mihajlović.

It is unclear if the arrests mark a significant step in addressing the systemic issues exposed by the Novi Sad tragedy. In the meantime, public demands for accountability and reform remain strong.

With Beta and BGNES, edited by g.g.

More Serbia coverage here.

Caption: Emergency and heavy machinery crews work at the scene to clear the wreckage following the collapse of the canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia, 1 November 2024. EPA/MARKO KAROVIC