It is well known to the public that the ATP “Vojvodina” case is under constant monitoring by the European Commission, is part of all resolutions on Serbia’s progress, and is frequently discussed in talks about the rule of law in Serbia. Despite this, blatant legal violations continue to plague this case—starting with the City of Novi Sad’s deliberate refusal to fulfill its contract with the company, followed by a bankruptcy process riddled with crime and corruption. This led to the auctioning off of legally approved facilities for a fraction of their value, at prices lower than the cost of construction materials.

Through abuse of official position, Novi Sad officials Maja Gojković, Igor Mirović, Igor Pavličić, and Miloš Vučević inflicted enormous damage on the company, the families of 600 workers who lost their jobs, and me as an investor who had invested 40 years of successful work. The Supreme Court of Cassation fails to see this.

Judges Dragiša Slijepčević, the late Stojan Jokić, Zorana Delibašić, and (just months before retirement) Branko Stanić, along with (coincidentally also from Novi Sad) Tatjana Miljušare the judges who had a special role, bowed to political pressure.The so-called “independent” prosecution actively contributed to ignoring the law by directing its decisions to ensure the confiscation of assets without compensation, even though the court acknowledged the damage. In doing so, the “independent” prosecution shielded politicians from criminal responsibility.

A striking example of this is the response I received from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, Special Department for Corruption Suppression, regarding my request to include in their investigation of the collapsed station canopy the fact that the victims were not waiting for a train but for a bus at an illegal suburban and intercity bus stop. This illegally used location is a consequence of the City of Novi Sad’s failure to fulfill its contract with ATP “Vojvodina.” The prosecution responded that the Public City Transport Company (JGSP) “Novi Sad” has had a license to provide station services at Jaše Tomića 6 since August 2023.

I ask the Prosecutor's Office: What happened between 2007 and 2021, while the contract with ATP “Vojvodina” was still in force? What happened to the more than 20 criminal complaints I filed during that period, which were never acted upon? How and what did the Prosecutor's Office investigate when even the official website of JGSP confirms that suburban and part of intercity bus traffic was unlawfully operating from the Railway Station address (Jaše Tomića 4), where passengers lost their lives?

It is clear that the Prosecutor's Office needed such a response to exclude the breach of contract with ATP “Vojvodina” and its consequences from the criminal prosecution related to the collapse of the station canopy, which is now being selectively handled by the Special Prosecutor's Office.

I remind you: When my investment was nearing completion, a meeting was held in December 2006 at the City Hall in Novi Sad. Present at the meeting were the then City Secretary for Transport, Vladimir Stojković, the Director of JGSP Novi Sad, the Director of Development at ATP "Vojvodina," and myself. It was agreed that, as of January 1, 2007, Article 1 of the Contract that I had signed with the city of Novi Sad based on planning documents.would be implemented. That article states as follows:

"With this contract, the contracting parties regulate their mutual rights and obligations regarding the provision of a new intercity bus station in a facility to be built by ATP 'Vojvodina' at a location designated by the General Plan of the City of Novi Sad until 2021 (hereinafter referred to as: the General Plan).

By providing the new intercity bus station in accordance with paragraph 1 of this clause, conditions will be created for relocating the suburban terminal from Riblja Pijaca to the location of the current intercity bus station, as well as for relocating the current intercity bus station to the new location, in accordance with the General Plan."

The first phase was initiated: the suburban terminal "Riblja Pijaca" (Fish Market) was relocated to the bus station at Jaše Tomića 6, while the intercity and international bus services, which were supposed to move to the ATP "Vojvodina" location, temporarily remained at their existing site until an occupancy permit was obtained for the new facility. However, even though the permit was granted, the interests of the drug and tobacco mafia prevailed in the meantime, as they planned to seize my investment with the help of Maja Gojković, her brother, and Igor Mirović. As a result, intercity and international bus routes were never moved to the new location designated by the General Urban Plan.

Since the station at Jaše Tomića 6 could not accommodate such a large number of buses, the suburban terminal and part of the intercity lines, including those from "Riblja Pijaca," were relocated in front of the Railway Station at Jaše Tomića 4, despite the fact that this location does not meet any of the legally required conditions for suburban and intercity transportation. Nevertheless, in August 2023, the station was granted a license, which the Prosecutor’s Office referenced in its response to my request. However, this license applies to operations at Jaše Tomića 6. Meanwhile, for more than 18 years, illegal suburban and intercity transportation has been taking place at Jaše Tomića 4—the very location where passengers lost their lives and where the Railway Station’s canopy was improvised as a bus terminal.

The response from the Prosecutor’s Office is undoubtedly aimed at excluding the breach of contract with ATP "Vojvodina" and its consequences from the criminal prosecution regarding the collapse of the canopy, which is now selectively handled by the Special Prosecutor’s Office.

There is another reason: part of the funding for the reconstruction of the Novi Sad Railway Station came from the European Union, making it evident that European institutions will examine the legality of how these funds were spent.

Finally, for those who still don’t understand why students have been protesting for three months, the ATP "Vojvodina" case provides a clear and transparent example of how "justice" is delivered in Serbia and why injustice so deeply affects ordinary people who, like the youth, demand a lawful state and the rule of law. I have informed European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi about all of this—unlike our own, Novi Sad native Zagorka Dolovac, who, for over a decade, has had every reason to turn a blind eye to this case.

Respectfully,

Ilija Dević, Investor of ATP "Vojvodina"