The Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) in Serbia has strongly condemned the Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly for what it calls a “malicious attempt” to exert undue influence on the public prosecution. The VJT said the Committee broke standard procedures by scheduling the presentation of five annual reports simultaneously with less than 24 hours’ notice—a move the VJT describes as unprecedented.
In a statement, the VJT emphasized that it had submitted annual reports to the National Assembly for the past five years without ever being asked to present them in person. The Committee’s sudden decision to demand immediate presentations, the statement notes, constitutes the most severe and inappropriate interference in the work of the Supreme Public Prosecutor to date.
The office highlighted that the scope of the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s authority has been narrowed significantly following constitutional reforms in 2022, limiting it primarily to Supreme Court proceedings, international cooperation, and issuing general binding instructions. Responsibility for individual cases lies with lower-level prosecutors, making the Committee’s scrutiny of VJT reports essentially a retroactive assessment of all lower prosecutor offices from 2020 to 2024, far beyond the VJT’s direct mandate.
The VJT also criticized politically motivated questions raised during the session, which focused on specific cases rather than the data in the reports. According to the office, prior media statements and prepared attacks against the Supreme Public Prosecutor reflect a coordinated effort to reshape the role, structure, and functioning of prosecution services—actions that violate the Constitution, the 2022 judicial reforms, and Serbia’s international obligations under the EU accession Action Plan.
The statement concluded that the VJT will continue to monitor all forms of political pressure and inform the public about any further attempts to undermine the independence of the prosecution.
