Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Snežana Paunović is facing renewed scrutiny after a series of controversies, including her remarks on Kosovo, allegations surrounding her previous employment, and longstanding questions over travel expense claims.
According to Nova.rs, Paunović continued receiving a salary as acting director of the Peć Pharmacy Institution until April 15, 2025, despite the institution having been officially dissolved by a Serbian government decision on October 7, 2021.
Financial disclosure reports submitted by Paunović to Serbia’s Anti-Corruption Agency indicate she listed income from the institution until becoming a minister in April 2025. The reports have raised questions about the legal basis for those payments, given that the institution had already been removed from the official register of healthcare institutions.
Paunović has not publicly responded to questions regarding the payments.
Nemanja Nenadić of Transparency Serbia said the circumstances require clarification from multiple state institutions.
“Based on the data published by the Anti-Corruption Agency, it appears the minister reported receiving income from that position while serving as a member of parliament,” Nenadić said, adding that it remains unclear who authorized and paid the salary after the institution had ceased to exist.
He called on the Serbian government and the Anti-Corruption Agency to explain who financed the payments, whether another institution assumed responsibility for the position, and under what legal framework the arrangement continued.
The latest revelations come days after Paunović drew widespread criticism for saying she would have “ethnically cleansed” Kosovo had she been in the position of former Serbian President Slobodan Milošević during the 1998–99 conflict.
Following domestic and international backlash, Paunović said her remarks had been taken out of context but stood by their substance. She later stated she should have used the term “deportation” instead of “ethnic cleansing” to avoid public outrage, while apologizing to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Đuro Macut for the controversy caused by her comments.
Her statement was condemned by the European Union, while European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos described the remarks as “horrific” and questioned whether Paunović should remain in government. Kosovo authorities also declared her persona non grata.
The minister has also faced previous criticism over travel expense claims during her time as a member of parliament.
An investigation by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS) found that between 2016 and 2020, Paunović received approximately €22,000 in travel reimbursements for trips between Belgrade and Peć, despite reportedly residing with her family in Belgrade during that period.
The investigation also found that Serbia’s Anti-Corruption Agency had previously determined Paunović violated conflict-of-interest regulations by simultaneously serving as acting director of the Peć Pharmacy Institution and as a member of parliament without obtaining the required approval.
Paunović denied wrongdoing regarding the travel expenses, accusing critics of spreading falsehoods, but did not provide a detailed explanation for the reimbursements.
The opposition has called for her dismissal, but the Serbian government has so far taken no action.
