Canopy case: Three proceedings, half of one indictment confirmed

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February 20, 2026

Link to original article: https://www.bbc.com/serbian/articles/cg7e12nj2veo/lat

Three investigations, three proceedings – 16 victims – but only half of one indictment confirmed.

This is how we could briefly describe the complexity of the proceedings leading to the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024.

Almost a year and a half later, time is still inexorably passing, and there is no trial or justice for the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy.

And it doesn’t seem like there will be a court epilogue anytime soon.

The latest news came from the Court of Appeal in Belgrade, which again – for the second time – overturned the decision to confirm the so-called Belgrade indictment for the canopy collapse, and ordered that it be decided again.

The Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (TOK) had not yet filed an indictment at that time, while the indictment was partially confirmed in the “Novi Sad” proceedings.

“That only tells us one thing – the authorities are not allowing this case to be investigated, because everything is in their hands,” Jasmina Paunović, a former prosecutor and member of the Inquiry Commission into the canopy collapse, told BBC Serbian.

“They have captured the judiciary through their people who are court presidents and chief public prosecutors, and in that way they control the entire work of the prosecution.”

The case on the canopies, he says, has been divided into three parts without any clear explanation, and the entire procedure should be conducted by TOK.

“I’m not claiming that we would have an indictment by now, because again the government stands in the way of that, but the concentration of evidence and the purpose of the procedure would be directed at that prosecutor’s office – we would know how, why and for what reason an indictment has not yet been filed.”

“This way, when you have fragmented jurisdiction – which is not actually jurisdiction, because both could transfer jurisdiction to TOK, but they don’t – I think the whole thing is a farce,” he claims.

He adds that only one thing is brave – that the money flows are always clearly visible and cannot be erased.

Belgrade procedure

The decision of the Court of Appeal in Belgrade of February 13th refers to the so-called Belgrade procedure.

This is an indictment from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (HPO) in Belgrade, filed on March 4, 2025.

  • Defendants: Slobodanka Katanić, Infrastructure Manager of Serbian Railways, President and Member of the Commission for Technical Inspection of the Station, Milutin Savović and Biljana Krstić
  • They are charged with negligent work, abuse of official position and a serious crime against public security.

The VJP “has given its maximum in its actions by effectively reacting to suspicions of criminal acts,” said Nenad Stefanović, the VJP’s chief prosecutor, who is often described as a man loyal to the authorities .

Some lawyers, including members of the Inquiry Commission, pointed out at the time that Stefanović wanted to “obstruct” the Novi Sad proceedings with this indictment.

The indictment of the Belgrade Public Prosecutor’s Office refers to three people against whom a criminal complaint was previously filed with the Novi Sad Public Prosecutor’s Office, which was dismissed by that prosecutor’s office.

The Belgrade Police Department told the BBC at the time that they did not comment on such allegations, emphasizing that they “act in accordance with the Constitution and laws.”

The indictment was quickly confirmed by the High Court, and the Court of Appeals – acting on the defense’s appeal – sent it back for a new decision.

The High Court reaffirmed it on October 31, the day before the anniversary of the tragedy.

The Court of Appeal has now overturned the decision to confirm the indictment for the second time and sent it back for a new decision.

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Novi Sad procedure

The situation here is not exactly the simplest either.

On December 24, 2025, the Higher Court in Novi Sad dismissed the indictment against former Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Goran Vesić, his assistant Anita Dimoski, and Jelena Tanasković, former director of Infrastructure of Serbian Railways.

They were charged with the serious offense of causing public danger.

The indictment was also dismissed against Milan Spremić, Marina Gavrilović and Dejan Todorović, who were accused of improper and improper performance of construction work.

The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad therefore filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal on December 29th.

The decision of the Court of Appeal is still awaited.

The indictment was confirmed against the former director of Infrastructure of Serbian Railways, Nebojša Šurlan, as well as several people responsible for the design and execution of the works – Slobodan Naumović, Milan Jelkić, Ljiljana Milić Marković, Jasna Stojiljković Milić, Zorica Slavković Marjanović and Dušan Janković.

They are charged with a criminal offense against public safety, in connection with the criminal offense of improper and improper performance of construction work.

This is the only indictment currently in effect for the deaths of 16 people in the canopy collapse.

Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime

The Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (TOK) in Belgrade is conducting an investigation into possible corruption in the project to modernize the railway to the border with Hungary.

There are no indictments yet.

On the last day of February 2025, TOK formed a Task Force for the Investigation of Cash Flows in the Project “Modernization and Reconstruction of the Hungarian-Serbian Railway”.

In addition to prosecutors, this body included financial forensic experts, police officers, Tax Police inspectors, employees from the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Business Registers Agency.

Five months later, based on their investigation, several people were arrested – including Minister Tomislav Momirović – and just a month and a half later, people working outside the prosecutor’s office were withdrawn from the Strike Group.

The police explained their resignation with a new systematization.

  • Suspects: Former ministers Tomislav Momirović and Goran Vesić, Anita Dimoski, former assistant minister, Nebojša Šurlan, former director of Railway Infrastructure, and Slobodanka Katanić, investment development manager at Railway Infrastructure.
  • It is suspected that: By concluding several annexes to the contract, they enabled the Chinese contractor “CRIC – CCCC” to obtain a material benefit of 18.7 million dollars. They caused damage to the Serbian budget of 115.5 million dollars, TOK announced.

“The investigative procedure in this case has been seriously slowed down and almost impossible from the very beginning due to the failure of other state authorities to act,” TOK announced on January 30, 2026.

“Even after repeated requests, the police did not submit all the remaining documentation, even though they were legally obliged to do so, which directly affected the inability to create the conditions for filing an indictment or suspending the investigation within the legal deadline for detention,” they added in the statement.

In the case of TOK, additional complications later occurred.

That is, about its future after the adoption of the so-called Mrdić laws , after the law’s proponent, Uglješa Mrdić, an MP from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

While government officials claim that they will contribute to a “better and more efficient” judicial system, tasked with checking the executive and legislative branches, the opposition and some legal experts see them as an attempt to place the judiciary under government control.

They emphasize that the goal is to abolish or limit the power of TOK.

TOK is also investigating the General Staff case , where one of the suspects is also a high-ranking official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and Minister Nikola Selaković .

The adoption of Mrdić’s laws would have “extremely severe and far-reaching consequences for the functioning of the judicial system,” TOK previously announced.

This means “not only a direct and severe collapse of TOK”, but also “a complete blockage of proceedings in the most complex and sensitive criminal proceedings”, which they call “a serious step backwards in the area of ​​the rule of law”.

“The defendant will benefit the most from this,” they emphasized.

Nevertheless, Mrdić’s laws were adopted, and then signed by President Aleksandar Vučić, thus entering into force.

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