Prosecutors reinstated at Serbia's organized crime office after Venice Commission criticism

All prosecutors who were previously removed from the Republic's Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (TOK) have been reinstated following a decision by the High Prosecutorial Council (VST). This move aligns with a key recommendation from the Venice Commission.

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I think an injustice was done to the prosecutors who were not reassigned with other prosecutors, and I did participate in that. I am sorry for that.

The reinstatement includes prosecutors Irena Bjeloš, who handled the "Konjuh" case involving the seizure of five tons of marijuana, and Aleksandar Barac, who conducted financial investigations in the "Nadstrešnica" case. The VST also decided to temporarily assign prosecutor Boris Majlat to TOK.

During the VST session, nine members voted in favor of the reinstatements, with one abstention. This contrasts with a previous session in March where four members abstained. Prosecutor Predrag Milovanović, a VST member, expressed regret for his previous participation in decisions that led to prosecutors not being reassigned together, stating, "I think an injustice was done to the prosecutors who were not reassigned with other prosecutors, and I did participate in that. I am sorry for that."

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Because we returned all prosecutors whose assignments had ended, all of them, and assigned three more new prosecutors, and announced competitions.

Milovanović also refuted claims that the prosecutors were not reinstated due to the specific cases they were working on. He noted that Barac had landed a position in the Appellate Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad, implying a "golden parachute." Despite such considerations, all prosecutors are returning to TOK, which the VST president stated will now be significantly stronger. Milovanović, however, voiced reservations about the Venice Commission's influence, suggesting that while its opinions are respected, they should not be treated as absolute scripture and that Serbia should not overly defer to external authorities.

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The Venice Commission's opinion is sacred, but it is not Holy Scripture. I am truly a little offended that an advisory body is entering into some personal decisions. It seems to me that we are too easily submitting to some kind of foreign authority.