Former Serbian MP and founder of the Alliance for Kosovo, Žarko Ristić, has called on Petar Petković, head of the so-called Office for Kosovo within the Serbian Government, to resign and publicly disclose how funds allocated to the Serb population in Kosovo have been spent.
Ristić stated that the policies pursued by Petković have caused serious harm to the Serb people and argued that the head of the Office for Kosovo must take political responsibility for their results.
“Enough with the excuses. What did you promise, what did you achieve, and what did the people actually get from the policies you represent? You cannot ask for the people’s trust while refusing to take responsibility for your decisions and their outcomes,” Ristić said.
He stressed that Petković’s resignation should not be the end of the matter, also calling for an audit of how funds allocated to Serbs in Kosovo have been spent.
Ristić said he had raised the issue while serving on the Serbian Parliament’s Committee on the so called “Kosovo and Metohija”. He is now calling for a review of funding for disputed projects and for accountability to be established in cases of possible misuse.
He urged the competent prosecution authorities to investigate suspicions that the same projects may have received funding more than once, as well as payments for projects that, according to him, exist only in official documentation.
The former MP also called for particular scrutiny of Petković’s role in approving funding, including the decisions made, documents signed, and mechanisms used to monitor expenditure.
“It is necessary to examine the contracts, payments, implementation reports and the actual situation on the ground. For every disputed project, it must be established how much money was allocated, to whom it was paid, and what was done with that money,” Ristić said.
According to him, if it is established that the same project was paid for more than once, or that funds were disbursed for work that was never carried out, all those involved must be held accountable, regardless of their names or positions.
“Money intended to ensure the survival of our people in the Republic of Kosovo is not anyone’s private fund. Every dinar must leave a paper trail, every project must deliver results, and every instance of misuse must carry consequences,” he said.
Ristić concluded by demanding Petković’s resignation, the publication of documentation relating to the disputed projects, and action by the prosecution.
He emphasized that political and criminal accountability are separate matters, adding that resignation does not rule out criminal liability if violations of the law are established.
