Former Serbian Minister Arrested For Corruption Scandal Project Station Leads To Death

Six people, including a former minister, were arrested for corruption in the reconstruction of a train station whose roof collapsed in November 2024.

The station's roof collapse that killed 16 people sparked Serbia's biggest anti-government protests in decades.

Reported by Reuters on Saturday, August 2, the prosecutor's office for organized crime said Tomislav Momirovic, the former infrastructure minister, was among the people arrested.

The six people allegedly inflated bills from a consortium of two Chinese companies - China Railway International Co and China Communications Construction Co - tasked with rebuilding the train station at Novi Sad and its rails.

They are suspected of causing state budget losses of $115.6 million.

The Prosecutor's Office said the mark-up case of this bill made the Chinese consortium earn a profit of $18.8 million.

In December 2024, 11 people including Momirovic's successor, Goran Vesic, were detained for allegedly committing a criminal act against public safety.

Protests that lasted for months across Serbia after the collapse of the roof of the train station, including the closure of the university.

The tragedy also rocked the government of President Aleksandar Vucic, a former ultranationalist who switched to EU membership in 2008.

Protesters who blamed corruption for the disaster demanded an early election that they hoped would overthrow Vucic and his party from power after 13 years.

They accused Vucic and his allies of being involved in organized crimes, committing violence against rivals, and curbing media freedom. Vucic denied the allegations.