Ustavobranitelji file criminal complaint against PIO director over Vučić letter to pensioners

The Ustavobranitelji association has filed a criminal complaint against Relja Ognjanović, director of Serbia’s Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, over letters sent to pensioners carrying Aleksandar Vučić’s signature and photograph.

In the complaint, the association argues that the PIO Fund’s legal role is limited to compulsory social insurance, collecting contributions and paying benefits. It says pensioners’ personal information is among the country’s most important protected databases and alleges that the mass delivery required extracting the updated PIO database.

“

The Republic Pension and Disability Insurance Fund is a state institution whose legal framework is exclusively limited to implementing compulsory social insurance, collecting contributions and paying PIO rights.

The group says addressed letters began arriving at the homes of all 1.65 million pensioners in Serbia during August and September 2026. It claims Ognjanović had a legal duty to protect the information and acted deliberately against Serbian law by placing a party and political interest above citizens’ privacy.

Ustavobranitelji also described the operation as an example of campaigning by a public official. The complaint cites Vučić’s public announcement that he would be the Serbian Progressive Party’s candidate for prime minister in the coming parliamentary election and argues that the mass distribution gave him an unlawful political advantage through the free use of state resources.

“

Personal data of pensioners represent one of the largest, most important and most protected databases in the country.

Postal workers have been delivering the letter to pensioners and social-benefit recipients. They have also been asked to collect recipients’ names, telephone numbers and signatures consenting to receive further notices. Pavle Dimitrijević of CRTA told N1 that the operation raised several concerns, including the reported role of the PIO Fund and the request that postal workers effectively survey the recipients.

The letter praises pensioners for building and defending Serbia and says they deserve more than the authorities have been able to provide. It rejects claims that the government’s concern amounts to vote-buying, saying such critics hold a poor opinion of pensioners and the Serbian people.

“

There are malicious people who are trying to portray our concern for you as vote-buying.