Serbian Opposition Slams Government, Citing Systemic Corruption

Opposition lawmakers in the Serbian Parliament have strongly criticized the ruling party, accusing it of systemic corruption and arguing that proposed amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption will not effectively tackle the issue.

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Corruption means theft. If the authorities steal, it means that those who do so do not go to jail. And that is why you live off corruption and the entire system is based on that corruption.

Miroslav Aleksić, head of the parliamentary group of the People's Movement of Serbia (NPS), stated that the system established by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) "lives off corruption" and that it has been "legalized for the authorities." He argued that the government's refusal to limit the tenure of acting directors, including that of the Anti-Corruption Agency, allows them to control public enterprises and institutions, making them subservient to the ruling political elite rather than the law.

Slobodan Petrović of Srbija Centar (SRCE) sarcastically suggested that ruling party members are the "biggest experts on corruption" in Serbia. He pointed to instances where organizations linked to the SNS and its coalition partners allegedly received millions through public tenders. Petrović added that corruption scandals involving ministers and officials often result in new scandals emerging to overshadow previous ones, making it easier to find truffles than an SNS official not involved in crime.

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Because from you from the Serbian Progressive Party, there are no greater experts on corruption in this country.

Robert Kozma of the Green-Left Front emphasized that Serbia ranks 116th on the Corruption Perceptions Index, significantly below the EU average, and is among the most corrupt countries in Europe. He estimated that systemic corruption costs Serbia approximately one billion euros annually, with public funds being diverted into private pockets.

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When you look at the corruption perception index, Serbia is in 116th place according to that index. 29 points below the EU average, among the most corrupt countries in Europe, at the level of Belarus. It is estimated that this systemic corruption costs us one billion euros annually - that in one year so much from public funds is transferred to your private pockets.

Ivana Rokvić, also from NPS, argued that the proposed amendments, which expand the definition of a public official, merely create an illusion of the government's desire to fight corruption. She suggested the law is more accurately described as a "Law on Preventing Corruption Research" rather than a law to prevent corruption itself.

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It's a bit pointless to call this the Law on Prevention of Corruption, it's more like the Law on Prevention of Corruption Research.