Trial of Former Niš Mayor Dragana Sotirovski Begins Over Alleged Multimillion-Dinar Abuse

The trial of former Niš Mayor Dragana Sotirovski is beginning with allegations involving more than 250 million dinars in damage to the city budget and 112 million dinars in unlawful personal benefit.

The opening preparatory hearing before the corruption division of the Higher Court in Niš is closed to the public. It will determine which evidence the prosecution and defense will present during the main trial. Sotirovski is expected to appear in courtroom 13 at 10:30 a.m., while journalists may wait in the corridor for the hearing’s conclusion.

The proceedings had been scheduled to begin on June 10, but the preparatory hearing did not take place after Sotirovski’s legal representative sought the recusal of the entire Niš judiciary. Sotirovski herself proposed that the case be heard in Belgrade or Kragujevac, saying she could not receive an objective trial in Niš. Both requests were rejected. Judge Saša Dujaković also sought recusal from the case, but that request was rejected as well.

The allegations concern the construction of water and sewage networks in Niš between March 16, 2022, and July 9, 2024. Prosecutors say Sotirovski unlawfully hired PR Vodomonteri from Lalinac and Sim Puk Gradnja from Malošište, using emergency-management provisions instead of the public procurement law. She was arrested at the Preševo border crossing on Feb. 21, 2025, while returning from Greece, following a report by Serbia’s State Audit Institution. Several people linked to the companies were also detained.

Sotirovski has so far defended herself by remaining silent. It is not yet clear whether she will deny the charges or continue to exercise her right not to give a defense. The case has attracted close attention in Niš, where the information she may provide is seen as potentially relevant to people higher up in government, particularly as elections are expected.