Tepic: Serbia Needs a Strong Anti-Corruption Prosecutor

(Betaphoto/Dragan Gojic)

Party of Freedom and Justice Vice-President Marinika Tepic said on Aug. 12 that “a link connecting the chain of highest officials who in their respective countries were accused of grave corruption and whom [President] Aleksandar Vucic is hiring as his advisers and granting them citizenship and lucrative deals is a single man – Tony Blair.”

“The former British PM used to advise the government at the time Vucic was prime minister, and he is now adviser to the government led by Ana Brnabic,” Tepic said in a written statement. According to her, “before the current scandal with granting Serbian citizenship to the former Thailand PM convicted of corruption, yet another former PM had obtained Serbia’s protection thanks to citizenship – a former PM of Romania, Victor Ponta, who was also charged with grave corruption and who also had Tony Blair as his adviser.”

“Vucic is also using other segments of the Blair chain, such as Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who also has Blair as adviser, and the United Arab Emirates, which, according to PM Brnabic, are covering the costs of Tony Blair’s advisory services to Serbia through the Tony Blair Associates consultancy,” Tepic added.

“As if we don’t have enough regime-involving crime and corruption of our own, but have to import more,” she concluded.

“Because of that Serbia cannot become healthy without a strong and independent anti-corruption prosecutor, of the kind Romania had in Codruta Kovesi, who has his own police unit, independent of the Interior Ministry, i.e. the influence of holders of political sinecures, who themselves are accomplices in crimes,” Tepic added.