Inquiry Commission concludes: Canopy collapse result of criminal group’s actions, suspicions point to President of the Republic

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M. Ž.

15. okt. 2025. 14:34

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On the eve of the first anniversary of the tragic Novi Sad train station canopy collapse, which claimed 16 lives, the Commission of Inquiry investigating responsibility for the incident presented its report titled “Canopy Collapse - System Failure, One Year Later.” Tanasije Marinkovic, a law professor and Commission member, said that the Commission’s findings point to the collapse being “the result of actions by an organized criminal group” and that there are “grounds to suspect the President of the Republic is at the head of this group.”

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“The Commission of Inquiry concluded that the canopy collapse stemmed from the actions of an organized criminal group, which, through a chain of events and actions, led to this outcome. We believe there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the president of the Republic is at the helm of this criminal group, and we call on the public prosecutor’s office to expand its investigation, to question his associates as witnesses, and some as suspects,” Marinkovic said.

The investigation revealed that the Republic of Serbia violated its citizens’ right to life, he explained.

“The state violated the right to life of all 17 individuals involved - 16 who perished and one who was severely injured. Why? What are the reasons for this? Based on our findings, we believe Serbia violated the right to life by failing to establish a legal framework that prevents such risks,” Marinkovic said.

He added that the Commission observed a systematic erosion of construction industry standards.

“We found that the Law on Public Procurement has been systematically bypassed, even in relevant international agreements, which points to elements of corruption, and that this element isn’t just from 2018 or 2024, it has deeper roots,” Marinkovic said.

Furthermore, the Republic of Serbia failed to consistently and comprehensively apply measures to protect lives.

“We saw that the train station was not maintained, that essential documents were not prepared in accordance with the Law on Planning and Construction, that construction did not follow legal standards, and that inspections were not conducted as required,” he added.

Professor Marinkovic also highlighted that the Commission found violations of the public’s right to information.

“The lack of information about these projects is compounded by the actions of tabloid media, which fail to provide citizens with accurate information, while the state obstructs investigative media outlets trying to inform the public. The state not only withheld information but also misrepresented it,” Marinkovic emphasized.