Judge: In Serbia’s Political Life, Prosecutor’s Office Is Referred To when Interest Is Involved

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Miodrag Majic, a judge of the Court of Appeals in Belgrade, has said that the Prosecutor’s Office is referred to when there is an interest for its engagement, while its inaction is not disturbed when it is favorable.

"It is observable in Serbia’s political life that an interest in institutions appears depending on the political interest for processing", Majic told the May 12 issue of Belgrade daily Danas.

He said "it is known" that most analysis pointed to the fact that the pressure on the prosecution authority and influences were coming from those holding political power. Majic added that "it should be of high concern for the Prosecutor’s Office that it is possibly the only constant that runs throughout all sides of the political spectrum". Majic described hunger strikes of Serbian Progressive Party MPs, Aleksandar Martinovic and Sandra Bozic as an unusual event considering that both were members of the ruling majority.

Commissioner for the Independence of Prosecutors Goran Ilic has told Danas that the problem is in the system, adding that under the constitutional system, MPs have the crucial role in the appointment of heads of public prosecution authorities and deputy public prosecutors.

“The National Assembly appoints public prosecutors for a six-year term in office and also their deputies in the initial appointment procedure. How to interpret the ongoing strike but as a message to the prosecutors who have been protested against that they cannot expect their reelection by the MPs who have gone on strike over them,” Ilic said.