Officers from Serbia’s Criminal Police Directorate (UKP) have removed black bags and boxes from the headquarters of the Republic Pension and Disability Insurance Fund (PIO) in Belgrade, following criminal complaints alleging the improper destruction of official documents.
The operation was confirmed to the investigative outlet Insajder by Dragan Domazet, the chief union representative of the Association of Independent and Free Trade Unions (ASNS) at the PIO Fund. His union filed criminal complaints against the fund’s director, Relja Ognjenović, and unidentified responsible persons over suspected abuse of office, negligent performance of official duties, and the destruction of official records and evidence.
Domazet said investigators had taken bags containing materials and documents that employees suspect were being destroyed improperly. Authorities are expected to examine their contents and determine whether the circumstances indicate criminal activity.
Union alleges documents were shredded after elections
In a statement published earlier this week, the PIO Fund employees’ union alleged that documents had been systematically destroyed for several days and nights following the announcement of the results of Serbia’s October 25, 2026, elections.
According to the union, documents potentially compromising the fund’s current management were being shredded behind locked office doors on the third floor of the institution’s headquarters on Dr. Aleksandra Kostića Street in Belgrade.
The union said it had managed to preserve several black bags that it claimed had been ordered in large quantities for the alleged operation. Photographs of bags filled with paper were also circulated on social media.
The allegations prompted the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, through its Special Department for Combating Corruption, to request that police collect relevant information concerning two criminal complaints filed against Ognjenović.
Prosecutors instructed police to identify the individuals who may have participated in the destruction of the materials and question them about which documents were destroyed, why the destruction took place and whose orders were followed.
The investigation also includes allegations that the PIO Fund used Serbia’s public postal service, Pošta Srbije, to distribute a letter from President Aleksandar Vučić to pensioners and recipients of social benefits.
Police have been given 30 days to submit the requested information to the prosecution.
The prosecutor’s action comes shortly after Serbia’s Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a new general binding instruction calling on chief prosecutors to investigate reports of official documents being destroyed in state institutions and public enterprises.
PIO Fund says document shredding is routine
The PIO Fund has rejected suggestions that its document-processing procedures are irregular, saying it applies high security and environmental standards in managing records and waste paper as part of its regular operations.
The institution said the materials contain confidential information about insured individuals and beneficiaries, making their secure destruction necessary under Serbian law and applicable ISO standards.
According to the fund, documents are collected and shredded daily using specialized machines inside the institution. The shredded material is then packaged, labeled and handed over monthly to an authorized person for further processing.
Union representative describes police operation
Speaking to Insajder, Domazet said police seized materials that employees had managed to preserve after raising concerns about the way documents were being destroyed.
“Unfortunately, most of it had already been taken away and was probably destroyed somewhere,” he said.
He added that officers interviewed a colleague responsible for the archive who had preserved the bags and was familiar with the fund’s official document-destruction procedures.
The employee was accompanying investigators to provide a formal statement about the materials and explain how documents are normally destroyed under established procedures, Domazet said.
Domazet also confirmed that he had personally given a statement to the Interior Ministry after photographs of the bags appeared on social media. He said he had verified their authenticity and provided investigators with original photographs.
According to his account, around six or seven UKP officers arrived at the fund’s headquarters and formally seized the materials, documenting the procedure and issuing an official receipt.
Representatives of the fund’s management and employees involved in the matter were present during the operation. Domazet said the management did not obstruct the process, although director Ognjenović was absent. A deputy director responsible for general and legal affairs attended instead.
Domazet further alleged that management representatives had previously attempted to locate and take possession of the materials preserved by employees, but had been unable to find them.
The allegations against the fund’s management remain subject to investigation. The police seizure is intended to establish what the materials contain and whether any criminal offenses were committed.
