Paunović Was Paid by a Closed Institution, Raising Suspicions Over Serbian Funds in Kosovo

Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović’s statement that she would have carried out ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in Slobodan Milošević’s place has sparked widespread backlash and been described as scandalous.

Paunović was appointed a minister in the Serbian government in 2025. Before taking up the post, she was paid both as a member of parliament and as director of the Peja Pharmaceutical Institution in Kosovo.

However, the institution, headquartered in Goraždevac, has not officially been listed as active since 2021. Radio Free Europe found that it was closed on October 7, 2021, under a decision by the Serbian government.

Commenting on the case for “Bota Sot,” security expert Drizan Shala said the payments to Snežana Paunović raise serious questions about Serbia’s continued funding of parallel structures in Kosovo.

According to Shala, the continued payment of salaries to the heads of a closed institution may indicate that Belgrade is still financing parallel mechanisms with the aim of maintaining its influence in Kosovo.

“The case of Snežana Paunović cannot be treated merely as an administrative irregularity. It is a signal that adds to suspicions about how Serbia continues to finance its parallel structures in Kosovo, even though they may formally no longer exist,” Shala said.

He questioned how many other structures may continue to receive funds from the Serbian budget without having a clearly defined function, given that an institution officially closed in 2021 continued to generate salaries for its managers.

According to the expert, the issue is not solely related to the management of public funds. He considers it part of Belgrade’s state strategy to maintain parallel influence within Kosovo.

Shala recalled that, for more than two decades, Serbia has established and funded a network of parallel institutions, offices and mechanisms in Kosovo. According to him, the Kosovar authorities have identified some of them as platforms for political, logistical and operational influence in the north of the country.

“Developments in recent years, including armed attacks against Kosovo’s institutions and police, have shown that the networks established and supported by Belgrade have not played a merely administrative role. Kosovo’s authorities have stated that individuals linked to parallel structures have been involved in activities that threaten the constitutional order and public security. These allegations have been followed by investigations and legal measures against the suspects,” he said.

For this reason, Shala said the Paunović issue should not be treated as an isolated case, but as a possible indication that parallel networks continue to operate.

“Under these circumstances, the continued funding of a closed institution cannot be viewed as an isolated case. It raises suspicions that Serbian public funds may continue to sustain an active parallel network that is not limited to providing services but is used as a tool of political and security influence in Kosovo,” the expert said.

Shala called for a full audit and a transparent investigation into all funds that Serbia continues to allocate to its structures in Kosovo.

“The public has the right to know which institutions still receive funding, which individuals manage these funds, and whether the money serves civilian needs or supports mechanisms that challenge the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo,” he stressed.

In conclusion, Shala said transparency regarding the funding of parallel structures should be Serbia’s first step if it wishes to demonstrate a commitment to the “normalization of relations” and European standards.

“Every euro allocated outside lawful mechanisms and without accountability only increases mistrust, tensions and instability in the region,” he concluded.