Yesterday, Serbian police conducted raids at the offices of at least four civil society organizations as part of a probe into allegations of improper use of funds provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

In January, the administration of former US President Donald Trump put a temporary halt on foreign aid for 90 days and has been pursuing measures to dismantle USAID, resulting in the layoffs of over a thousand employees.

Chief Public Prosecutor Nenad Stefanović mentioned that Serbia has sought information from the US Department of Justice regarding potential misuse of funds and money laundering associated with USAID funds within Serbia. This follows remarks made by Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, and other US officials concerning the freezing of USAID funds.

The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (HPO) in Belgrade announced that it has ordered the seizure of all documentation related to USAID donations from four NGOs in Serbia and has mandated interviews with responsible individuals at these organizations concerning the expenditure of the donation funds. Following HPO orders, police began gathering information related to the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), Civic Initiatives, the Center for Practical Policy, and the Trag Foundation yesterday morning.

“The Special Department for Combating Corruption at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade has requested the necessary information from the National Bank of Serbia and the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering to verify the financial transactions of the aforementioned NGOs,” stated Stefanović.

The utilization of police for political motives signifies a serious misuse of state instruments to suppress dissent, highlighting the ongoing stiflement of free and democratic engagement in Serbia, according to Civic Initiatives.

Both CRTA and Civic Initiatives confirmed the presence of police at their offices yesterday.

CRTA, which specializes in independent election monitoring in Serbia, announced via the Iks network that it is “fully cooperating with state authorities,” while also questioning how tabloids reported on this matter before police intervention.

“The ruling authorities are attempting to establish intimidation and persecution mechanisms without formally adopting the Law on Foreign Agents, which is presently under parliamentary consideration but has yet to be ratified. The police’s political deployment symbolizes a profound misuse of state institutions to suppress dissenters and further erode free and democratic action in Serbia,” concluded Civic Initiatives.

President Aleksandar Vučić and his administration are currently contending with ongoing protests against corruption.

Naim Leo Beširi, Director of the Institute for European Affairs, remarked that the invocation of state coercive powers against civil society organizations signals yet another addition to a series of pressures against students, their activism, and civil demonstrations.

“I urge both citizens to rally in support of their organizations and call upon the European Commission, European Parliament, Council, and EU Delegation to Serbia to urgently take steps to protect those advocating for human and civil rights in Serbia,” Beširi stated.

According to opposition officials and independent media reports, the majority of grants provided by USAID to Serbia were allocated to government entities.

The Associated Press indicates that, since the 1990s, USAID has invested billions of dollars in nations such as Moldova, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In these nations, USAID funding has supported the development of democratic institutions and reforms, infrastructure and energy initiatives, bolstered the economy, and significantly supported numerous NGOs and independent media outlets.

Most available reports affirm that the majority of grants in Serbia were directed to state institutions, according to opposition officials and independent media.

Reuters elaborates that USAID has invested nearly $2 billion in Serbia since 2001 to promote growth, strengthen rule of law, and enhance governance, including contributions to state agencies and parliament, as well as various watchdog organizations.

Dojčinović: Everything is a setup

KRIK editor Stevan Dojčinović believes that the police raid on four NGOs signals a troubling shift toward a Belarus-style dictatorship in Serbia, noting that even Prosecutor Stefanović’s assertions suggest “everything is a setup.”

“The United States did not request Serbia to investigate the allocation of USAID funds or American taxpayers’ money. Thus, there is no grounds for an investigation in Serbia. This is further corroborated by the fact that the prosecutor claims to have initiated this investigation based on public remarks from individuals in America, implying Serbia is seeking information from the US, not the other way around,” Dojčinović reported, as conveyed by N1.

He claims that the probe into USAID expenditures originates from Serbia’s own government, rather than stemming from the public prosecutor’s office.

In his view, the offence of money laundering is unfounded, as USAID’s allocations were made transparently, with comprehensive disclosures on their website, and payments directly routed to the NGO accounts. Thus, there are no grounds for suspicion of illegal financial activities.

Dojčinović further stated that Prosecutor Stefanović is “misusing his authority and leading an unwarranted investigation,” emphasizing that significant sums from USAID were received by state bodies, not NGOs.

He argued that if the investigation were genuine, Stefanović should initially target various state institutions to obtain documentation on USAID donations, with President Vučić and former Prime Minister Ana Brnabić as the first individuals to interrogate on this matter.

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