Institution no longer exists, but salaries continue: The Paunović case raises questions about Serbian funding in Kosovo

Serbian minister Snežana Paunović provoked strong reactions after a shocking statement in which she said that if she were in Slobodan Milošević’s position, she would carry out ethnic cleansing in the territory of Kosovo.

Before taking the ministerial post in the Serbian government during 2025, Paunović earned income as a member of parliament, but also simultaneously as the head of the Pharmaceutical Institution of Peja based in Kosovo.

Officially, this entity based in Goraždevac has not been operating since 2021. Radio Free Europe has verified that its closure was carried out on October 7, 2021, through a decision of the Serbian executive.

Security issues specialist Drizan Shala told “Bota sot” that the case of Snežana Paunović raises deep suspicions about the continuity of financial support for illegal Serbian networks within Kosovo.

In his analysis, the fact that a dissolved institution continued to pay its leadership demonstrates that Belgrade may still be keeping parallel mechanisms alive to exert influence in Kosovo.

He also pointed out that authorities in Prishtina have documented the connection of some of these groups with activities that undermine the legal order and national security.

“The case of Snežana Paunović is not simply a bureaucratic irregularity. It is an indicator that heightens concerns about how Serbia continues to funnel money to its parallel structures in Kosovo, even after they have been dissolved on paper.

If a unit formally closed in 2021 still generated salaries for its chiefs, then the question arises of how many other entities receive funds from the Serbian budget without any clear operational justification. This is not only about the administration of state finances; it is about a strategy of Belgrade to preserve parallel power in the space of Kosovo.

For more than twenty years, Serbia has created and fed with money a network of parallel institutions, offices, and instruments in Kosovo. A segment of these formations has been described by Kosovo institutions as a base for exercising political pressure, logistical support, and operations in the northern sector of the country.

Developments in recent years, especially armed attacks against state facilities and law enforcement forces in Kosovo, have proven that the networks built and supported by Belgrade did not have only civilian functions. Kosovo officials have stated that individuals implicated in the parallel structures have been involved in actions that damage the constitutional basis and public security. These accusations have been followed by investigative processes and punitive measures against the suspects,” Shala emphasized.

Further, Shala underlined that the issue should not be treated as an isolated event, but as a potential signal that parallel networks are still active and functional.

He called for a full financial audit and a transparent investigative process regarding the funds that Serbia allocates to its entities in Kosovo, adding that honesty is key if Belgrade intends to show willingness for the normalization of relations.

“In this light, the case of a defunct organization that nonetheless is financed cannot be read in isolation. It leaves room to suspect that Serbian public money covers the cost of a parallel network that goes beyond service provision and turns into a tool of political and security influence in Kosovo.

That is why a comprehensive audit and an honest investigation into all the sums Serbia pours into its structures in Kosovo are essential. Citizens have the right to learn which institutions still receive funds, who manages these resources, and whether they serve community purposes or feed apparatuses that undermine the constitutional system of the Republic of Kosovo.

If Serbia is to demonstrate that it is committed to the ‘normalization of relations’ and European Union standards, then transparency over the financing of parallel mechanisms must be the first step. Every euro distributed outside legal channels and without accountability only deepens mistrust, tensions, and instability in the region,” concluded Shala.