Serbian court restores charges against ex-minister over station collapse

A Serbian appeals court said it had restored charges against former construction minister Goran Vesic over the collapse of a canopy at a newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad that killed 16 people.

The November 2024 tragedy sparked nationwide protests and became a symbol of entrenched corruption. Vesic resigned days after the accident. In 2025, the Novi Sad chief prosecutor charged him and 12 others with a serious crime against public safety.

The Novi Sad High Court dropped charges against Vesic and five other defendants in December 2025, citing lack of evidence. Prosecutors appealed, and the Novi Sad Appeals Court said in a statement that it confirmed the indictment against Vesic and five others in mid-June.

The investigation is one of three linked to the station collapse. Vesic is also a suspect in a separate investigation by Serbia's corruption and organised crime prosecutor into the financial aspects of the accident. That inquiry also includes another former minister, Tomislav Momirovic, and several other people.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office has separately been investigating possible misuse of EU funds for the renovation.

Student-led anti-corruption protests calling for a transparent investigation into the Novi Sad accident have expanded into demands for early elections. President Aleksandar Vucic has said parliamentary elections could be held before the end of 2026, but has not set a date.