Serbian Minister Allegedly Drew Salary From Non-Existent Pharmacy for Years

Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović is reportedly under scrutiny for allegedly receiving a salary as the director of a pharmacy institution that officially dissolved in 2021. Paunović, who became a minister in the Serbian government in 2025, allegedly continued to draw a salary from the Apotekarska ustanova Peć (Pharmacy Institution Peć) even after it ceased to exist.

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The Pharmacy Institution Peć, with its seat in the nearby Goraždevac, was shut down on October 7, 2021, by a decision of the Serbian Government.

According to reports from RSE, the Pharmacy Institution Peć, based in Goraždevac, was officially shut down by the Serbian government on October 7, 2021. Documents analyzed by RSE indicate that Paunović herself submitted the request to remove the pharmacy from the register of health institutions in 2021. Despite this, she allegedly continued to receive a salary as the acting director until April 15, 2025, just before assuming her ministerial role.

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The request to be removed from the register of health institutions in 2021 was submitted precisely by Snežana Paunović, as shown by documents analyzed by RSE.

This information comes from income and asset declarations that Paunović submitted to the Anti-Corruption Agency, a legal requirement for public officials. Analysis of these reports suggests that Paunović earned approximately 146,000 euros in salary over the 11 years she reportedly headed the institution. The institution's registration details indicate its seat was in Goraždevac, not Peć, and it no longer exists.

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She continued to receive a salary as the acting director of the Pharmacy Institution Peć until April 15, 2025, when she became a minister.

Questions sent by RSE to the Serbian government, its Office for Kosovo, the Republic Health Insurance Fund, and relevant ministries regarding Paunović's income and her position in the defunct institution have reportedly gone unanswered. Paunović has also faced regional and EU condemnation for past remarks about ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, which she later claimed were taken out of context. Despite calls for her dismissal from some opposition parties, there has been no official response regarding these allegations.

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For 11 years, according to official data, she led the Peć pharmacy, and received about 146 thousand euros from the Serbian budget in salary - RSE analysis shows.