Anti-Corruption Agency Investigating Progressives’ Call Center

Telephone (Pixabay)

In response to Transparency Serbia’s complaint alleging illegal funding of the Serbian Progressive Party call center, the Anti-Corruption Agency has launched an inquiry, the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS) reported on Dec. 20.

The results of the investigation will be published on the Agency’s official website, a representative told the CINS.

Transparency Serbia has demanded that the Agency investigate what role fellow-NGO Center for Education and Development of Belgrade Youth (CEROB) played in funding the Progressives, given that the party’s call center employees received their wages at the CEROB offices. Serbian law prohibits non-profits from financing or giving donations to political parties.

Transparency Serbia has further raised the question of whether taxes were paid on said wages, as the call center’s workers were employed sans contract and compensated in cash.

Although this remuneration was performed via an intermediary agency, which also organized the operation of the call center, the end user of its services was the Progressive Party of Serbia, which in itself raises concerns about the law being violated.

These issues are compounded by previous allegations of the call center facilitating vote buying and violating voter secrecy, both of which have been included in the Transparency Serbia complaint.