Prosecutor Radovan Lazić, a member of the Serbian Prosecutors’ Association, has sharply criticized President Aleksandar Vučić, stating that the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (TOK) was forced to publicly defend itself after repeated attempts by the president to interfere in ongoing criminal investigations — while the institutions tasked with protecting prosecutorial independence remained silent.
On November 4, TOK issued a statement pointing out that Vučić exceeded and abused his legal and constitutional powers, attempting to exert unauthorized influence over the office by publicly commenting on active criminal cases. According to Lazić, while prosecutors traditionally remain silent, the insults and threats from Vučić left no choice but to respond.
“The Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime has historically refrained from making announcements, but after such insults and qualifications, the Collegium’s reaction was inevitable. Other prosecutors and judges, including those from the informal organization Defense of the Profession, also reacted with statements and an open letter to the president. Količna’s insults and the content of Vučić’s statements demanded a response,” Lazić said in an interview with N1 Studio Live.
Lazić emphasized that it is normal, logical, and humane for prosecutors to defend themselves, yet the High Prosecutorial Council and the Commissioner for the Independence of the Prosecutorial Office failed to act — highlighting systemic neglect.
“This shows that the institutions responsible for safeguarding the independence of the prosecution are not functioning. TOK had to defend itself because the very bodies tasked with protecting it remain silent. Unfortunately, we have heard no reaction from them,” Lazić added.
He further criticized Vučić for unprecedentedly harsh and targeted language toward organized crime prosecutors, noting that the president’s attacks are directly linked to a specific case involving the General Staff, and therefore constitute unauthorized influence, threats, and insults — behaviors that could, under normal circumstances, fall under obstruction of justice.
“This is extremely dangerous. The president is using his immunity to shield himself while actively attempting to influence the outcome of a case. The behavior of the president in this context can only be interpreted as an attempt to manipulate the proceedings handled by TOK,” Lazić warned.
When asked whether TOK’s single statement would suffice, Lazić stressed that the situation forces prosecutors and judges to defend themselves individually, due to the inaction of the institutions that are legally mandated to ensure their independence. He pointed to the lack of response during recent campaigns of harassment against Judge Ksenija Marić, noting that neither the High Court, its president, nor the High Judicial Council intervened.
“TOK’s reaction is not meant to trigger a domino effect across other prosecutor’s offices, but it underlines the urgent need for the High Prosecutorial Council and the Supreme Public Prosecutor to perform their constitutional duties. It should not fall to individual offices to react — they are reacting because the system has failed,” Lazić concluded.
