Journalist: Prosecutor calls Vesić's defense 'senseless and absurd'

A journalist investigating a train station tragedy has characterized a prosecutor's view of a former minister's defense as "senseless and absurd." Marija Bulić, a journalist and author of the series "Dosije Nadstrešnica" (Canopy Dossier) for the portal 021.rs, revealed details from the indictment confirmed by the Appellate Court in Novi Sad. The case stems from a November 1, 2024, incident at the Novi Sad train station, which led to charges against 13 individuals. Bulić stated that the indictment, which took 20 months to be confirmed, contains much of the previously known information but also offers the prosecutor's perspective on the defendants' defenses. She highlighted the prosecutor's strong dismissal of former Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Goran Vesić's defense. The prosecutor reportedly deemed Vesić's arguments "pretty senseless and absurd." Similarly, the prosecutor concluded that Jelena Tanasković, acting general director of "Infrastruktura železnice Srbije" (Serbian Railways Infrastructure), "did not do her job in accordance with the law."

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He characterized Vesić's defense as pretty senseless and absurd, while the conclusion for Tanasković was that she did not do her job in accordance with the law.

The "Canopy Dossier" series is an investigative project based on over 400 pages of the confirmed indictment from the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad. The indictment charges four individuals, including Vesić, Tanasković, state secretary Anita Dimoski, and former general director Nebojša Šurlan, with the criminal offense of "grave offense against public safety" in connection with "causing general danger." The remaining nine defendants face charges of "improper and incorrect execution of construction works."

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They are accused, these four specifically, Tanasković, Vesić, Dimovski and Šurlan, of the criminal offense of causing general danger, while the other nine are charged with the criminal offense of improper execution of construction works.

Bulić noted that the public already knew much of Vesić's and Tanasković's statements before the indictment's confirmation. The new element, she explained, is the prosecutor's specific assessment of their defenses. The prosecutor also described the defenses of Dimoski, Šurlan, and Tanasković as partly "quite calculated, with avoidance of criminal responsibility or minimization of their guilt," although some parts of their defenses were accepted. The investigation into the train station canopy collapse identified two key factors based on expert findings, as mentioned in a portion of the indictment.

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Between the lines, I would like to emphasize that he characterized Vesić's defense as pretty senseless and absurd, while the conclusion for Tanasković was that she did not do her job in accordance with the law.