Rifat Berovic given three years in prison; company fined for Veles Workers' University collapse
Judge Angel Tripchev hands three-year prison term to the individual and a 1.5 million denar fine to DTTU "Berovic transport"; decision is first-instance and appealable.
A court in Veles on Thursday sentenced Rifat Berovic to three years in prison and ordered a fine of 1.5 million denars (about €25,000) for the company DTTU "Berovic transport" over the collapse of part of the Workers' University building in Veles.
Judge Angel Tripchev of the Basic Court Veles announced the first-instance verdict, saying the punishment for the individual defendant is three years’ imprisonment while the legal entity must pay the monetary penalty. The decision is subject to appeal by the parties.
Charges and responsibilities
The 39-year-old defendant, Rifat Berovic, was prosecuted on a charge described in Macedonian law as serious offenses against public safety; the company DTTU "Berovic transport" was charged, with responsible person Elvid Saracevic named, for causing danger in construction works.
According to the indictment, the licensed contractors failed to prepare and use a required protection project for the excavation pit, neglected measures to protect neighbouring buildings and the ground, and did not place construction supervision on the job before beginning works. Instead, they began a wide excavation directly beside the foundations of the Workers' University building.
As a result of those actions, on 17 June 2022 a portion of the university building located next to the excavation collapsed. The court found that the lack of protective design and oversight contributed to the dangerous situation and the subsequent structural failure.
The ruling closes the first-instance stage of the criminal proceeding; both the accused and the company retain the legal right to lodge appeals against the judgment.
Photo: СДК.МК)
