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Serbia’s top prosecutors for corruption and organized crime accused President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday of exerting “unlawful influence” on their work, after the right-wing leader launched a verbal attack on the judiciary in a televised interview.
In a TV appearance late Monday, Vucic called prosecutors a “corrupt gang” and blamed them for blocking a redevelopment project on the site of the bombed-out former Yugoslav Army headquarters in central Belgrade, where a criminal investigation has stalled construction.
On Tuesday, Serbia’s parliament began debate on a proposed “special law” to revitalize the former army General Headquarters destroyed in the 1999 NATO bombing. The move would designate the project, linked to an investment firm associated with Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, as a development “of importance for the Republic of Serbia.”
The legislation does not mention Kushner’s company, Affinity Partners. However, Serbian Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic signed a contract in May 2024 with Affinity Global Development director Asher Abehsera, according to Balkan Insight.
“Through his offensive and untrue remarks, Aleksandar Vucic once again targeted the acting prosecutors,” the prosecutors said in a joint statement from the special prosecution office.
They accused the president of having “overstepped and abused his powers granted by law and the Constitution, attempting to exert inappropriate and unlawful influence on this office by commenting on ongoing criminal investigations.”
Vucic has faced a year of anti-corruption protests, fueled by public anger over graft allegations and safety failures, including a fatal roof collapse at Novi Sad’s newly renovated train station in 2024 that killed 16 people. Protesters have pointed to the tragedy as a symbol of entrenched corruption.
Despite previous warnings from judicial associations, Vucic has continued to criticize the judiciary.
In his interview, he accused judges and prosecutors of releasing demonstrators arrested during student-led protests.
“It’s unbelievable that you have a situation where every day they release people who throw rods, sticks, and beat people on the streets,” Vucic said. “You’re a corrupt gang in the prosecutor’s offices, in most of the prosecutor’s offices, with as many corrupt judges as you want.”
The prosecutors said such remarks “directly obstruct justice and undermine the constitutional and legal order and the rule of law.”
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Speaking later Tuesday in Brussels, Vucic repeated accusations, calling prosecutors “mobsters.”
“They are right about one thing, I overstepped regarding constitutional powers. But unfortunately I told the truth, I spoke from the heart,” he told reporters. “They lied when they said I tried to influence them. I have never wanted to exert any influence over mobsters or criminals, nor do they have any influence over me.”
The European Commission, in its latest report on Serbia’s EU membership bid released Tuesday, warned that political pressure on the judiciary remains a serious problem.
“Undue pressure on the judiciary remains a concern, with little or no follow-up from relevant institutions, and there are concerns about prosecutorial autonomy,” the report said. It urged Serbia to “reduce political interference in the judiciary and prosecution.”
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