Dugalija: Investigation is conducted in several directions, 50 witnesses heard, the suspect is still only the tram driver

(Patria) - Chief Prosecutor of the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office Meliha Dugalija expressed condolences to the family of the victim in the tram accident at today's press conference. She emphasized that it is very difficult to announce when the investigation will be completed, especially due to the scope of the investigation, which is being conducted in several directions.

"From the very traffic accident, all actions in the field were supervised by the duty prosecutor, who was reinforced by another prosecutor, given that this is a serious traffic accident. The investigation was conducted to ensure all actions are in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code and to collect all evidence of interest to the investigation. This case is a priority for both the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton Police Administration. As of February 16, a prosecutorial team of three prosecutors was formed by my order.

The goal of the investigation is to comprehensively establish all facts based on which the team will make a lawful and correct decision. Checks and investigations of the circumstances of the tram accident are being carried out. The circumstances of the accident itself and the cause-and-effect relationships, all elements, the tram itself, the rails, the track, as well as the responsibility of responsible persons in the public enterprise and other bodies, and the complete lines of investigation concerning certain information that was in the public domain and anonymous reports from the aspect of economic crime and corruption are being determined," said Dugalija.

The Chief Prosecutor emphasized that work has been ongoing since the tram accident itself, and actions in the field have been carried out every day.

"Actions are being carried out in synergy with the Police Administration, as well as with all those in the chain of command. Much of our work also depends on the Municipal Court, the pre-trial judge to whom we apply for search warrants and document seizure. We have also followed media reports regarding certain circumstances that raised questions about our actions.

In such a complex case that is of public interest, there must be a balance between the public interest in knowing the accurate information, and on the other hand, we have the need, and it is our obligation, to conduct all actions lawfully, to correctly establish the facts, and not to jeopardize the goal of the investigation itself".

Dugalija stated that the investigation was conducted at the scene and then continued at the GRAS premises after the tram was moved.

"The tram was moved to the GRAS premises because there were no objective possibilities to move it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs depot, as we needed it for the inspection of the track conditions, for testing certain technical elements, for these reasons it was stored there. It was secured, and later seized by court order," stated the Chief Prosecutor.

Speaking about the tram driver, the person was deprived of liberty, questioned, and based on preliminary results, a detention measure was proposed to the Cantonal Court.

"Our proposal was rejected by the Cantonal Court. The court's position in this case is that it is not a criminal offense from the area of traffic committed intentionally, but negligently. Given the court's position that it is negligence, we have refined the order and continued the investigation within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Court. The investigation continues both in relation to the driver himself, and we are verifying his statement. We are obliged to check everything that works both in favor of and against the driver. The checks carried out by the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office indicate a completely open approach to establishing all circumstances related to this traffic accident, concerning technical operability, rails, and the complete tram infrastructure. The focus is placed on the video surveillance from inside the tram, from which a recording was seized on February 12, 2026. On February 16, the hard drive was inspected and processed, during which it was determined that the last recording was from November 29, 2025. Currently, video recordings from surrounding buildings are being inspected and analyzed, and permits are being obtained to seize video surveillance from the US Embassy. Checks are also being carried out based on an anonymous report regarding the technical malfunction of the vehicle," she explained.

She confirmed that an anonymous report was received regarding the procurement of magnetic brakes, and the questioning of a certain number of witnesses related to this public procurement has been ordered.

"All contractual relationships that have any connection with the tragic event will be checked. The focus of these checks is everything related to the tram accident. Since other contractual relationships have been problematized in the media, the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office will conduct further checks and determine jurisdiction. Checks are also underway regarding marketing contracts. A large amount of material documentation related to reported malfunctions, servicing, and maintenance, not only of trams, has been obtained. Extensive material documentation has been collected from the Ministry of Transport regarding track reconstruction, as well as for the track where the tram accident occurred. It is being checked whether the video surveillance was functioning in other trams. Recordings could not be loaded from two trams, and for four, there was no continuity of recording. Checks carried out so far have shown that the company BS Solution was responsible for the installation, but we do not have data on the maintenance of the system. In this regard, the investigation will focus on whose omission it was that there was no supervision of the functioning of the surveillance. The Office for the Fight against Corruption has been asked to provide all documentation related to the procurement of the video surveillance system in trams," she said.

Dugalija emphasized that the tram accident from the same day (February 12, 2026) in Ilidža, where two trams collided, is also being investigated.

"50 witnesses have been heard, regarding reported malfunctions, servicing, with an emphasis on tram ČKD 516, then on the circumstances of the tram collision in Ilidža, and checking the functioning of the video surveillance system.
Four experts have been heard, and the suspect himself has been questioned," stated Dugalija.

Answering the question of whether there are other suspects, Dugalija said that an order to expand the investigation to other persons in the capacity of suspects has not yet been issued, but that the actions of responsible persons are being checked.

She confirmed that the recording from the US Embassy has not yet been seized because it involves diplomatic activities, but she hopes to obtain the recording.