The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) recorded over €9.7 million in revenue and banked a massive €3.7 million profit last year. Newly released financial audits expose highly questionable “copied” citizen donations and multi-million contracts awarded to a favored state-backed businessman.
According to newly published financial statements on the website of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) generated a total revenue of 1,149,809,988 dinars (approximately €9.7 million) over the past year. After factoring in operating costs, the party retained a staggering net profit of roughly €3.7 million.
While the ruling party spent 712,455,529 dinars (€6.05 million) on total expenses—with 70 million dinars (€595,000) dedicated to local election campaigns and over 640 million dinars (€5.44 million) allocated for “regular operations”—the mechanics behind both its income streams and campaign payouts have once again sparked intense integrity concerns.
The Return of the “Copy-Paste” €340 Donations
A highly unusual pattern emerged within the party’s revenue streams: more than 400 individual citizens made financial contributions to the party, with almost every single donor depositing the exact same amount of 40,000 dinars (roughly €340).
This uniform pattern directly mirrors a notorious 2017 investigative report by BIRN. At the time, nearly 7,000 individuals donated the identical amount of 40,000 dinars to Aleksandar Vučić’s presidential campaign, triggering a money laundering probe by the Anti-Corruption Agency.
Years ago, when pressed by journalists to explain how thousands of citizens simultaneously decided to donate the exact same figure, Aleksandar Vučić infamously admitted to the practice of pooling cash to bypass legal limits: “Two of us are sitting there, and a third person is present. I say, ‘Here, I want to give 800 euros, but I can’t give 800 euros because it’s capped at a lower amount. Here is the cash, please deposit it for our party’.”
Despite clear indicators of structured smurfing—a textbook money-laundering technique—the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering ultimately halted the 2017 investigation on technicalities, allowing the practice to continue into current operations.
Channelling Millions to an EXPO 2027 Mega-Contractor
On the expenditure side, under the category of “public event costs,” a single private entity stood out by vacuuming up the lion’s share of SNS campaign funds.
Sky Solutions, a company 100% owned by prominent businessman Milenko Škarić, received:
- 2.1 million dinars (€17,800) for a party convention in Kosjerić.
- 2.9 million dinars (€24,600) for an election rally in Mionica.
- 49.6 million dinars (€421,800) for various other public party manifestations.
Škarić, who controls a network of roughly 20 interconnected companies, enjoys a highly lucrative relationship with the Serbian state apparatus. In the first six months of this year alone, his company secured eight multi-million-dinar contracts with state institutions.
Most notably, his subsidiary company, Skyevents d.o.o., recently signed a massive framework agreement with the state-run EXPO 2027 Belgrade enterprise. The contract, designated for hiring artists and performers for the specialized global exhibition, is valued at a staggering 1.49 billion dinars (approx. €12.7 million) including VAT (1.24 billion dinars / €10.5 million excluding VAT).
Multi-Million Payouts to Pink TV and a Presidential Raise
The financial disclosure also highlighted the regime’s heavy reliance on friendly media empires. Out of 28.8 million dinars (€245,000) spent on media advertising, the vast majority went directly to the pro-government broadcaster TV Pink. The network received 13.5 million dinars (€115,000) for advertising in the Zaječar elections and another 16.8 million dinars (€143,000) for the Kosjerić campaign cycle.
Finally, the audit noted a steady personal financial upgrade for the regime’s most prominent member. The official state salary of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has increased to 253,656 dinars (€2,150) per month, up from the 240,479 dinars (€2,045) he was recorded making in the previous fiscal year.
