The director of Serbia’s Republic Hydrometeorological Service (RHMZ), Jugoslav Nikolić, 71, and two other individuals have been arrested on suspicion of money laundering and concealing the illegal origins of assets, Serbian media reported.
The arrests were carried out on the orders of the Special Department for Combating Corruption of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the suspects allegedly transferred and converted assets worth at least €650,000 between November 2019 and November 2024, operating in Belgrade, Čačak, Užice, Bajina Bašta and Montenegro. Investigators suspect they knew the assets originated from criminal activity.
Nikolić is also suspected of failing to declare assets and income and providing false information about his financial situation.
Prosecutors allege that, during the period under investigation, he deposited 41,878,195 Serbian dinars, €43,150 and 44,760 Swiss francs into his bank accounts without being able to demonstrate that the funds came from lawful income.
The money was allegedly used to purchase real estate in Belgrade, Užice and Montenegro.
As a public official and head of the RHMZ, Nikolić was also legally required to report significant changes in his assets to Serbia’s Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. Prosecutors suspect he failed to meet that obligation.
Two Other Suspects Also Accused
The second suspect, identified by the initials O. N., is suspected of transferring at least €227,548 between June 2021 and 2023 without a lawful source of income. Prosecutors allege the money was used to purchase several apartments, a parking space and commercial property in Čačak and Montenegro.
The third suspect, identified as Đ. N., is accused of transferring at least 1.5 million dinars in June 2021 to finance the purchase of an apartment in Montenegro.
According to the prosecution, Nikolić and O. N. signed an agreement in November 2024 concerning the transfer and distribution of assets during their lifetimes, through which ownership rights to several apartments, parking spaces, land plots and a commercial property in Čačak and Montenegro were transferred to Đ. N.
The three suspects have been placed in custody for up to 48 hours and are expected to be brought before the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade for questioning within that period.
Proceedings are being conducted over suspected money laundering, while Nikolić also faces suspicion of offenses under Serbia’s Law on the Prevention of Corruption.
The allegations have not been established in court, and the suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
