Update
Election day observation report – local elections 2026
Introductory note CRTA deployed 10 limited-capacity observation missions, applying a methodology gro...
The Special Anti-Corruption Department of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has formed a case and reached out to the United States Department of Justice to provide the necessary information regarding the suspicions that were previously expressed in relation to USAID (United States Agency for International Development) by senior US government officials regarding the misuse of funds, possible money laundering, and the misuse of US taxpayer funds in Serbia.
Those statements mentioned non-governmental organizations, as well as US contractors who received projects in Serbia.
Among those who have expressed doubts about the work of USAID are US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Spokesperson Caroline Levitt, the US Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel.
The Chief Public Prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanović, specified that the letter of request was sent to the US Department of Justice through international legal assistance in criminal matters through the Serbian Ministry of Justice. The reason for the request, according to Stefanović, is the fact that the allocation and spending of USAID funds are not automatically available to the prosecution, but according to the rules established by the organization itself, USAID decides which data to provide to the prosecution, and only after the prosecution proves to USAID that there are specific suspicions of irregularities
and money laundering.
The appeal to the relevant department in the US followed the pre-investigation procedure initiated by the Special Anti-Corruption Department in order to establish the existence of elements of the criminal offense of Abuse of Position of a Responsible Person and the criminal offense of Money Laundering from the Criminal Code, against currently unknown persons, Stefanović stated.
Those statements mentioned non-governmental organizations, as well as US contractors who received projects in Serbia.
Among those who have expressed doubts about the work of USAID are US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Spokesperson Caroline Levitt, the US Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel.
The Chief Public Prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanović, specified that the letter of request was sent to the US Department of Justice through international legal assistance in criminal matters through the Serbian Ministry of Justice. The reason for the request, according to Stefanović, is the fact that the allocation and spending of USAID funds are not automatically available to the prosecution, but according to the rules established by the organization itself, USAID decides which data to provide to the prosecution, and only after the prosecution proves to USAID that there are specific suspicions of irregularities
and money laundering.
The appeal to the relevant department in the US followed the pre-investigation procedure initiated by the Special Anti-Corruption Department in order to establish the existence of elements of the criminal offense of Abuse of Position of a Responsible Person and the criminal offense of Money Laundering from the Criminal Code, against currently unknown persons, Stefanović stated.
He pointed out that the excessive concentration of funds in the accounts of several NGOs or affiliated consulting firms in Serbia, along with the non-transparent process of allocating funds only to a narrow circle of NGOs and the absence of comprehensive financial reports, indicate the existence of grounds for doubt in the legality of the spending of USAID funds.
The US Department of Justice is specifically requested to provide assistance in obtaining evidence, providing information or possible expert findings, providing financial, economic or business records (contracts, accounts, etc.) from banks or other financial institutions, and identifying or locating proceeds of crime or other items that may serve as evidence in criminal proceedings in the Republic of Serbia before the competent court.
At the same time, due to the seriousness of the allegations, and in order to verify the allegations and collect evidence regarding suspicions of misuse of USAID funds, abuse of funds, and possible money laundering by non-governmental organizations in Serbia, the Special Anti-Corruption Department of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has sent a request to the police to collect the necessary information in order to determine whether there are grounds for suspicion that a person has committed a criminal offense within the jurisdiction of this department, the Chief Public Prosecutor stated.
It was ordered that, for the time being, as he said, all documentation related to USAID donations be removed from the four NGOs, as well as interviews be held with the responsible persons of those NGOs regarding the spending of funds from donations, the pre-established procedures for spending USAID funds, as well as whether there was an obligation to inform donors about the intended spending of those funds, etc.
The police were also ordered to take other actions and measures based on their jurisdiction and to submit a report to the Prosecutor's office, Stefanović added, noting that on this occasion, the police this morning, on the order of the Prosecutor's office, began collecting information regarding the work of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), Civic Initiatives, the Center for Practical Policy and the Trag Foundation.
Also, as he pointed out, the Special Anti-Corruption Department of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has sent requests to collect the necessary information to the National Bank of Serbia and the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, in order to check the financial transactions of the aforementioned NGOs.
