An informal group of judges and prosecutors, “Odbrana struke” (Defense of the Profession), has strongly criticized a legislative proposal supported by Nenad Vujić, Serbia’s Minister of Justice, and promoted by Uglješa Mrdić, head of the parliamentary Judiciary Committee, which would place the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (JTOK) under the authority of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) in Belgrade.
In a statement, the group warned that such a move would result in the “complete subordination” of JTOK to the chief prosecutor of VJT, Nenad Stefanović, giving him control over all prosecutors and potentially blocking ongoing investigations and pending cases.
The group cited previous instances within the VJT, including the cases of prosecutors Bojana Savović and Jasmina Paunović, where files were allegedly reassigned or taken away for resisting the orders of the chief prosecutor. They argued that JTOK has been perceived by the authorities as a threat to the ruling elite and its corrupt dealings.
“This proposal would destroy the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office, undermine the rule of law, and compromise prosecutors’ independence,” the statement said, noting that Serbia has already faced criticism from the European Parliament and the European Commission regarding judicial independence.
The group called on prosecutors, judges, lawyers, and the wider public to strongly oppose the bill and to signal clearly that such an attempt to undermine JTOK’s autonomy would be unacceptable.
