Former Serbian Transport Minister Tried For Roof Of Collapsed Station Killed Dozens Of People

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - A Serbian prosecutor on Tuesday charged 13 people, including a former minister in a case of collapsed rail station roofs last year that killed 16 people and sparked months of anti-national government protests.

The former minister of construction, infrastructure, and transportation of Goran Vesic and 12 others, including his aide and the head of a rail company, were charged with public security charges, the prosecutor's office said in the city of Novi Sad.

The indictment includes "use of station buildings, although construction work is ongoing and permission (to continue using the building) has not been issued," the statement said.

The next indictment is the failure to maintain the structure of the station building, and criminal violations during the design phase and the renovation of the Novi Sad Railway Station building.

Protests that took place for months across Serbia after the collapse of the roof, including the university's closure, have rocked the government of President Aleksandar Vucic, an former ultranationalist who turned to support EU membership in 2008.

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

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