The Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime announced today that six people have been arrested as part of an investigation into financial flows related to the modernization and reconstruction of the Novi Sad - Subotica - state border (Kelebija) railway, and that searches and detentions of five more people are underway, and several more people have been included in the proceedings on suspicion of damaging the state budget by more than 115 million dollars.
Among those arrested, as announced by the prosecution, are former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Tomislav Momirović (2020-2022), former Acting Assistant Minister and Head of the Railways and Intermodal Transport Sector Anita Dimoski, who was also the responsible person-mentor in that ministry for monitoring all activities related to the reconstruction of the railway.
Former acting general director of the company "Infrastruktura Železnice Srbije", Nebojša Šurlan (2020-2024), was also arrested and, together with Momirović and Dimoski, is charged with the criminal offense of abuse of official position.
Among those arrested is Nikola Trivić, a responsible person at the company "Starting", suspected of the criminal offense of abuse of office by a responsible person, as well as the former director of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Novi Sad, Siniša Jokić, and the public procurement officer of that institute, Veljko Novaković, who are charged with committing the criminal offense of abuse of office.
The procedure also includes former Minister of Construction Goran Vesić (2022-2024), who has been receiving hospital treatment since yesterday.
The prosecution also states that three people were not found at their place of residence, including Goran Rosić, the responsible person of the company "Teco", a company that actually manages the companies "Pro+Service Centre", "Bambino Shoes" and "Zevas" doo, as well as Nenad Ignjatović, the responsible person and owner of the company "Deko Tim" from Beška, who is suspected of the criminal offenses of tax fraud and money laundering.
The former investment manager of the company "Infrastruktura Željeznice Srbje", Slobodanka Katanić, who was also the manager of the railway modernization and reconstruction project, was also not found at the address.
The prosecution alleges that by concluding annexes to commercial contracts and agreements, the suspects Momirović, Vesić, Dimoski, Šurlan and Katanić enabled the contractor "CRIC - CCCC" to invoice the financier and investor for the total value of the work performed on the project in the amount of 1,21 billion dollars.
The suspects, according to the prosecution, also enabled the contractor to perform additional work for which the obligation of subsequent payment upon invoicing was assumed in the amount of 64 million dollars, thereby obtaining material benefit for the contractor, in the value of at least 18 million dollars determined so far, and causing damage to the Serbian budget in the amount of 115.558.520,43 US dollars, which represents the difference between the assumed financial obligations for the Serbian budget and the contractual price from the Commercial Agreement.
Today's arrests, it is added, are the result of the previous work of the Strike Group for the investigation of financial flows of money related to the project "Modernization and reconstruction of the Hungarian-Serbian railway on the route Novi Sad - Subotica - state border (Kelebija)".
The members of this group are police officers of the Service for Combating Organized Crime - Department for Suppression of Financial Organized Crime and the Department for Prevention of Money Laundering, Department for Combating Corruption, Tax Police inspectors, members of the Financial Investigation Unit, employees of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Business Registers Agency, and the Public Prosecutor's Office team for organized crime, consisting of four public prosecutors, three financial forensic experts, and two prosecutorial associates.
"The task force will continue the work it has begun in the coming period on investigating financial flows related to other aspects of the project 'Modernization and reconstruction of the Hungarian-Serbian railway on the route Novi Sad - Subotica - state border (Kelebija)'," the prosecutor's office added in a statement.
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