Public Prosecutor Goran Ilić believes that the public's indignation regarding the decision of the Extra-Trial Chamber of the High Court in Novi Sad to suspend the proceedings against Goran Vesić and others in the case fall of the canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad.
In his statement to "Vreme", Ilić points out that we should wait for that decision to become final.
"Considering the content of the decision of the High Court in Novi Sad suspending the proceedings against several persons, it seems that the prosecution was guided by the public's indignation over the fall of the canopy, and not by the facts available in the case, because the proceedings were suspended due to the absence of justified suspicion," Ilić told "Vreme".
Decision due to political pressure
Critics of the regime of Aleksandar Vučić see the suspension of proceedings against Goran Vesić and others as a continuation of the coup d'état and believe that the decision was made under political pressure.
Attorney Sead Spahovic is of the opinion that the indictment was thin precisely because of its breadth, but that we should wait for the final verdict.
The non-trial panel of the High Court in Novi Sad made a decision decision not to charge against Goran Vesić, Jelena Tanasković, Anita Dimoski, Milan Spremić, Marina Gavrilović and Dejan Todorović in the case of the fall of the canopy at the Railway Station in Novi Sad and that the criminal proceedings be suspended.
Vesić, Tanasković and Dimovski were accused of a serious offense against causing general danger, and the other three were accused of a serious offense against general safety in connection with the criminal offense of improper and improper execution of construction works, and according to the indictment of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad dated September 16, 2025.
The panel of the High Court in Novi Sad considers that there is not enough evidence to suspect that the defendants have committed the criminal acts that have been charged against them.
Reasoning of the Trial Chamber
As it is written in the explanation of the Sid Council, the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad filed an indictment on December 30, 2024, "after only 38 days of investigation", which was then sent back to be supplemented by the order of this court in mid-March.
"Common to almost all responses to the indictment is the statement that the prosecution only technically conducted the supplementary investigation, only collecting evidence and questioning the witnesses that the court indicated, without analyzing the results obtained in the supplementary investigation and applying it in the new indictment.", it is stated in the explanation.
They point out that in order to commit the crime of causing general danger, it is assumed that the official or responsible person did not act according to the regulations or rules.
"The court finds that in the specific case there is not enough evidence for a justified suspicion that the defendants Tanasković and Vesić, as officials, in the specific case, were obliged to act according to the regulations or technical rules on protection measures, and therefore that there is not enough evidence for a justified suspicion that they committed criminal acts in the manner described in the indictment, given that this form can only be committed by an official or a responsible person, and which regulations are not mentioned by the public prosecutor in the indictment," he states. court.
In addition, it is added, there must be evidence that would indicate that the accused were aware of the existence of the danger that it could be a criminal offense charged against them.
"From the attached evidence, it appears that these defendants, together with other officials, citizens and journalists, stood under that canopy, which will collapse four months later, during the ceremonial opening of the lobby of the B wing of the Railway Station in Novi Sad," says the court.
The next problem cited by the court is that the indictment does not show a clear connection between the actions of the accused and the consequences.
Opponents of the regime see the suspension of proceedings against Goran Vesić and others in the case of the fall of the canopy at the Railway Station in Novi Sad as a "continuation of the coup d'état" and believe that the decision was made under political pressure. For Diana Hrka, it is the "bottom of the bottom".
Sead Spahović: Thin indictment
In the storm of general indignation, the opinion of lawyer Sead Spahović stands out. He told "Vreme" that this court decision should be respected, because it is not legally binding.
"We need to wait to see if it will be final, and then I can comment. There are two problems with the canopy case, that is, questions: why did it fall and why were people under it, and the prosecutor should give an answer to those questions. In any case, I respect court decisions, the prosecutor will appeal, and that's why I have to wait. I'm not a fan, I'm not a blocker, I have to be professional and wait for the decision," says Spahović.
He points out that he already pointed out that it will be a problem that the indictment is written on 400 pages.
"When the Hague Tribunal issues a 400-page indictment, out of those 400 pages, 300 or 350 pages are facts. Here, the facts are on only five or six pages, and the rest are the prosecutor's comments. That 400-page mastodon is somewhat vulnerable, because on 400 pages the defense can look for mistakes. A prosecutor who is strong and knows what he wants goes narrower and deeper, not wider, because when it's wide, then it's thin," he says Spahovic.
Diana Hrka: The victims are killed for the second time
The mother of the young man who died in the fall of the canopy, Dijana Hrko, assessed that the decision of the High Court in Novi Sad kills the victims for the second time and sends a message that, in fact, they are the only ones to blame, and she asked all those responsible for such an epilogue if when they return home and hug their children, they wonder if they did the right thing.
"Are the judges, prosecutors and everyone responsible in this country asking themselves, after signing their shameful decisions, what society lost with their death? Young people, parents, children, workers, people with knowledge, kindness, plans were lost. The future was lost. Trust was lost," said Diana Hrka in a statement.
She reminded that one person remained permanently disabled, condemned to bear the consequences of someone else's negligence for the rest of his life, and that 16 lives were extinguished.
"I speak because I don't want such tragedies to be covered up, relativized and forgotten. I speak because tomorrow it could be anyone's child. I speak because silence means complicity. My son was not a number in the case. Neither were the other victims. These were lives that were worth living. And someone had to answer. As a mother, I was left without a child, without peace and without justice. But I will not stop speaking. If the institutions have no conscience, I do. I owe it to my fallen "I owe my son. I owe it to another son who lives in this country. I owe it to everyone who has been with me all this time," said Diana Hrka.
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