University Professor: Serbian Regime Ignoring Reports by Informal Inquiry Committee Indicating Corruption

Vladimir Obradovic (Photo:PrintScreen YouTube)

Professor Vladimir Obradovic of the Belgrade University School of Organizational Sciences said on Oct. 19 that the Serbian government has decide to “turn a blind eye” to the findings of the informal Inquiry Committee investigating the circumstances surrounding the Nov. 1, 2024 collapse of the concrete overhang at the newly-renovated Novi Sad central railway station, which claimed 16 lives.

In a guest appearance on the Utisak Nedelje (Impression of the Week) talk show, Obradovic stated that the initial contract for the station’s reconstruction was worth EUR330 million, but that the amount eventually ballooned to EUR1.2 billion.

According to the professor, that the final costs quadrupled over time makes the project “a symbol of how the law is neglected, a symbol of contracts made to enable corruption, a symbol of the absence of accountability and the utter lack of justice” in Serbia.

Citing the existence of e-mail evidence, Obradovic explained that President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic’s aide Ivica Kojic directly negotiated the reconstruction and its costs with the ministers involved in the project.

Created in early February by experts in the fields of law, civil engineering, finance and communications – most of whom are professors of the universities in Belgrade or Novi Sad – the informal Inquiry Committee presented its final report on the accident on Oct. 15. Titled “The Collapse of the Overhang – The Collapse of the System, One Year Later,” the document concludes that the canopy fell due to the actions of an organized criminal group, suspected to be led by President Vucic.

The report is set to be presented at the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on Oct. 21 as well. Titled Serbia at a Turning Point: One Year After Novi Sad, the event will be hosted by three EP caucuses: the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe and the Greens.