No Trial Yet for Those Responsible for Šaban Šaulić's Death

The District Court in Gütersloh cancelled the first hearing at the beginning of 2020 due to the pandemic.

Two years after the death of singer Šaban Šaulić on the highway near Bielefeld, the start of the trial is still pending. It is being postponed due to the pandemic, even though the perpetrator has admitted to manslaughter, writes DW.

The District Court in Gütersloh cancelled the first hearing at the beginning of 2020 due to the pandemic. Not even a year later, according to the director of the Gütersloh court, Axel Meyer, there is no date for the start of the trial. The reason for this is the stricter entry rules into Germany due to the pandemic.

- The injured parties who joined as plaintiffs cannot currently come to Germany - Meyer told the dpa news agency.

Šaulić had many fans in the Balkans and among his compatriots in Germany and was a big star, writes the newspaper Westfalenblatt. Before the tragic accident, the 67-year-old Šaban Šaulic held his last concert in Bielefeld.

After the concert, during the night on the way to the airport, together with keyboardist Mersad Kerić, he suffered fatal injuries in a traffic accident on the A2 highway, near Gütersloh. Both died in the hospital. A third person who was in the car was seriously injured.

A 36-year-old German of Turkish origin, born in Gütersloh, is accused of double manslaughter, negligent bodily harm, dangerous actions in traffic, and driving without a license. According to the District Court, he has pleaded guilty.