Zdravko Ponoš, leader of the opposition party Srbija Centar (SRCE), filed a formal criminal complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime on Friday, July 3, 2026.
The complaint targets two active officers from the Criminal Police Directorate (UKP – Uprava kriminalističke policije), unnamed officials within the Police Directorate, and Dragan J. Vučićević, the owner and editor-in-chief of the pro-government tabloid Informer. The legal action comes after the sensitive contents of an official police memorandum detailing Ponoš’s closed-door interrogation were leaked and read on live television within minutes of being signed.
The “Sonic Cannon” Controversy
The legal battle stems from an interrogation that took place on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Ponoš was summoned by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) for questioning regarding a social media post he published on X on March 15, 2025.
In that post, Ponoš claimed state authorities deployed a “sonic cannon” (acoustic weapon) against demonstrators protesting the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse, which claimed 16 lives. The VJT has classified his claims as false, alleging that the event was a “simulation” designed to discredit state organs.
[CHRONOLOGY OF THE LEAK PIPELINE]
│
1. PONOŠ INTERROGATED ► 2. DISCRETION VIOLATED ► 3. LIVE BROADCAST
─────────────────────── ─────────────────────── ─────────────────────
• Held at UKP headquarters • Official memo signed • Informer TV reads the
• Questions focus on March by Ponoš is instantly exact memo transcript
2025 "sonic cannon" post photographed via mobile just 10 minutes after
phone by police staff the session concludes
Allegations of an Organized Criminal Group
According to the complaint submitted by Ponoš’s attorney, Stefan Janjić, specific high-ranking officers used their executive access to feed information directly to state-aligned media outlets to politically damage the opposition leader.
The lawsuit explicitly names:
- Lieutenant Colonel Predrag Jandrić (UKP)
- Major Sima Perović (UKP)
- Unnamed police personnel within the Directorate
The SRCE party layout alleges that these individuals consciously abused their official positions by photographing the protected document at 11:17 AM on Wednesday and instantly transmitting it to Vučićević’s personal phone.
Severe Rights Violations Cited
The legal filing argues that the quick coordination between law enforcement and Informer points to a systemic breach of state protocols.
“The reported individuals caused material damage and severely violated the rights of Zdravko Ponoš, wherein all parties involved were fully competent, aware of the illegality of their actions, and deliberately intended to execute them,” the criminal complaint states.
| Targeted Individuals | Crimson Charges Lodged | Legal Implications |
| UKP Officers & Unnamed Clerks | • Abuse of Official Position • Divulging an Official Secret | Direct violation of the Criminal Code regarding pre-investigative confidentiality. |
| Dragan J. Vučićević (Informer) | • Trading in Influence • Association to Commit Criminal Offenses | Exposes media figures to prosecution if actively participating in illicit data pipelines. |
Ponoš has publicly slammed the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, questioning their objectivity and accusing the head prosecutor, Nenad Stefanović, of acting as a political shield. He maintained that state officials have repeatedly shifted their narratives regarding the police procurement and deployment of acoustic devices, asserting that his 2025 observations of the “sonic cannon” were entirely accurate.
