Serbian lawyer seeks investigations in three countries over suspicions of vote buying in favor of Vucic

Serbian lawyer Cedomir Stojkovic today called on the authorities of Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina to investigate on their territories allegations of vote buying in favor of the list of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

The request follows reports that Serbian voters have been offered 100 euros each to travel to Serbia and vote for the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

Stojkovic is asking that the institutions of the three countries determine who is financing the trips and buses, where the money comes from and which people are involved in distributing it and organizing the transport. He also asked how much Vucic is paying Serbs from these countries to go to Serbia and vote for the SNS.

According to the lawyer, it should be clarified whether the financial resources come from misused public funds or from other illegal sources.

In his statement, Stojkovic also mentioned allegations of links between drug cartels and Vucic’s political structures, referring to communications published on the “Sky” platform. These allegations also remain to be verified by competent bodies.

He believes that investigations in Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina could reveal who may have been involved in organizing and financing the trips, as well as in manipulating the electoral process. According to him, launching them would also help good neighborly relations in the region, while he claims that Serbian authorities are obstructing such investigations within Serbia.

Stojkovic stressed that Serbian citizens have the right to learn how money that may have been misused was spent and who may have been involved in electoral manipulation beyond Serbia’s borders.

He said it is particularly important to identify Serbs from these countries who may have been involved in electoral coercion, corruption and manipulation. According to him, such actions constitute an attack on the citizens of Serbia and are criminal offenses also in the countries where he is seeking investigations. Stojkovic said he expects the results of these investigations.

So far, reports of payments to voters and suspicions about the origin of the money remain accusations that require investigation and verification by the relevant institutions.