Transparency Serbia: Fighting Corruption in Serbia Isn’t even a Declarative Priority

Nemanja Nenadic (BETAPHOTO/MEDIA CENTER BELGRADE)

Transparency Serbia (TS) Program Director Nemanja Nenadic on Jan. 31 said that Serbia had reported stagnation in fighting corruption even in the times when corruption had been proclaimed one of the state’s priorities.  

“Now, we cannot say that curbing corruption is a priority, not even a declarative one. We have had no strategy for curbing corruption for four years now, and fighting corruption is not highlighted in the new Serbian government’s platform,” Nenadic noted.

Underlining open non-compliance with anti-corruption regulations in Serbia, Nenadic gave the examples of public companies and the public administration, that is, the practice of appointing acting directors who had been reelected several times, while only one mandate was allowed. Nenadic also said that public resources were not protected and that the public suspicion about irregularities managing public resources had not been examined.

“Not only in cases when such information is presented by journalists and non-governmental organizations, but also when such information comes from public institutions, the bodies established by the state, such as the Anti-Corruption Council,” Nenadic stressed. He also gave the example of awarding tenders through deals and not through public procurement procedures, noting that this practice “repudiates implementation of anti-corruption regulations.”