Serbian Ex-Minister of Trade and Construction has been arrested as part of an investigation into alleged corruption linked to a railway modernization project, including the renovation of Novi Sad railway station that was a key site of deadly disaster triggered mass protests in the country.
Serbia’s Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime has ordered the arrest of Tomislav Momirović and five other suspects in connection with the reconstruction of a railway station whose roof collapsed last November, killing 16 people and a mass protest movement that has shaken the Serbian government. One more seriously injured person is still in hospital.
The Special Prosecutor’s Office stated that the arrests were the result of efforts by the Task Force investigating financial flows related to the project “Modernization and Reconstruction of the Hungarian-Serbian Railway Line on the Novi Sad–Subotica–State Border (Kelebija) route.”
It also added that former Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic and four more people are under investigation.
Momirovic resigned as Trade Minister on November 20, 2024. He was Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister from 2020 until 2022, during the time when Novi Sad railway station was reconstructed and then reopened in time for the 2022 elections.
The six are suspected of allegedly inflating invoices from a consortium of the two Chinese companies - China Railway International Co and China Communications Construction Co - who were given the task of reconstructing both the railway station at Novi Sad and tracks, the statement said.
They are suspected of damaging the state budget by $115.6 million, the statement said, and also said that by inflating invoices the Chinese consortium benefited by $18.8 million, but gave no further details.
In December 11 people, including Momirovic's successor Goran Vesic, were detained on suspicion of committing a criminal act against public safety.
Months of protests across Serbia following the roof collapse, including university shutdowns, have rattled the rule of President Aleksandar Vucic, a former ultranationalist who converted to the cause of European Union membership in 2008.
The protesters, who blame corruption for the disaster, demand early elections that they hope would remove Vucic and his party from power after 13 years.
They accuse Vucic and his allies of ties to organised crime, violence against rivals and curbing media freedoms. Vucic denies the accusations.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal as a “stupid proposal,” say...
The public health challenge linked to the emergence of a rare strain of hantavirus is complex, according to pharmacist and health commentator ...
After years of limited engagement, relations between Syria and the European Union are drawing renewed diplomatic a...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (11 May) that the fragile ceasefire with Iran was “on life suppor...
The man accused of attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump during a Wh...
Serbia and Azerbaijan are accelerating their strategic partnership across energy, transport and diplomacy, amid growing regional and global uncertainty.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev held a phone call on Sunday (19 April), highlighting the rapid expansion of bilateral ties and confirming plans for further high-level engagement.
Kazakhstan and Serbia have agreed to deepen their strategic partnership following talks in Astana between Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Aleksandar Vučić, signalling a shift from political dialogue towards more practical cooperation.
Azerbaijan and Serbia have formally launched a Strategic Partnership Council, marking a new phase in bilateral relations and placing cooperation under direct presidential oversight.
Australia confirmed it will repatriate citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with quarantine on arrival. Spain, France are evacuating nationals as three deaths are confirmed. In the U.S., two passengers have been isolated after testing positive for the virus.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal as a “stupid proposal,” saying Tehran failed to commit to abandoning its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, while warning the fragile ceasefire was on “massive life support”.
President Donald Trump called Iran’s response to a US war proposal “totally unacceptable” after Tehran sent its reply through mediator Pakistan, according to IRNA. Qatar’s al-Thani also warned Iran against using the Strait of Hormuz as “a pressure tool”.
Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku has been elected the 142nd head of the Georgian Orthodox Church at a meeting of clergy in Tbilisi following the death of longtime Patriarch Ilia II.
A Turkish Airlines plane caught fire in its landing gear tyres after landing at Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday (11 May) morning, temporarily disrupting airport operations, officials said.
After years of limited engagement, relations between Syria and the European Union are drawing renewed diplomatic attention as both sides explore cooperation on migration, security and regional stability..
The man accused of attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump during a White House gala last month pleaded not guilty to all charges in federal court on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron opened France’s first-ever business summit in an English-speaking African nation on Monday (11 May), as Paris seeks to strengthen ties across the continent following a decline in influence in several former French colonies.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attempt a political fightback on Monday (11 May) with a speech promising closer ties with the European Union after Labour suffered heavy local election losses and growing calls for his resignation.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that three Polish nationals and two Moldovan citizens had been released from detention in Belarus and Russia, highlighting what he described as growing diplomatic cooperation with Minsk.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment