Economist Saša Đogović stated that actions in the fight against corruption, particularly the arrest of the former acting director of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), Milorad Grčić, would not have occurred without student protests. As he emphasized, institutions in Serbia operate at the direction of the government. “If it weren’t for the protests of students and citizens, the arrest for corruption would not have been initiated,” Đogović said.
He added that this only supports the students’ claim that institutions are not functioning independently but are working according to the government’s directive, or “tele-guidance,” which is evident in Grčić’s arrest.
The fight against corruption was announced a month ago by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who said citizens would soon witness higher-profile arrests.
According to Đogović, this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the public prosecutor’s office and the courts, as branches of government independent from the president, which reinforces the students’ argument that institutions are “captured.”
He emphasized that this method of tackling corruption will only intensify protests and confirm the students’ belief that institutions in Serbia act on command. “The anti-corruption actions will not diminish the dissatisfaction of students, which is the real aim of the arrests – to show that the institutions are functioning and that there is no need for continued protests,” Đogović said.
He noted that the arrest related to corruption was politically motivated, as if the institutions were functioning properly, the issue would have been addressed much earlier, not five years after the accident at the “Nikola Tesla” power plant in Obrenovac.
“Ultimately, we need to see how the legal processes will unfold, as they might be diluted. Citizens were witnesses to the arrest of businessman Miroslav Mišković when the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power, which turned out to be more of a marketing move. I’m not saying that will happen now, but the distrust in institutions is so high that it’s unrealistic to expect it will reduce the sharpness of the protests,” Đogović said.
He added that the arrest action reveals the mechanisms of governance by the current SNS-SPS coalition, although it had a different purpose: to show that Serbia is engaged in a systemic fight against bribery and corruption.
The most recent results of the Corruption Perception Index for 2024, he noted, show that this is not the case, as Serbia’s position on the list has worsened compared to 2023, marking its worst result since 2012.
“The crisis of authority will not stop; the erosion of trust in institutions will continue, as will the decline in the rating of the leading party. If there are any effects from these arrests, they will be short-lived,” Đogović concluded.
He pointed out that courts, as independent branches of government, are expected to address corruption and explain the reasons for the five-fold increase in the cost of reconstructing the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station, but there has been no response so far.
Milorad Grčić, the president of the Obrenovac municipality and former acting director of EPS, was arrested this morning in an anti-corruption operation, following an order from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade. He is suspected of causing financial damage to EPS while heading the company.
Grčić was appointed as the acting director of EPS on March 15, 2016. Officially, he was meant to remain in that position until the conclusion of a competition for the permanent director, for a maximum of one year, but he stayed in the role until January 2022.
He resigned from EPS following several catastrophic accidents caused by poor-quality coal that halted almost all production units, leaving 130,000 households without electricity.
Just a few days after leaving EPS, Grčić became the assistant to the president of the Obrenovac municipality, and in July 2024, he was elected the president of the municipality.
At the end of 2020, following the formation of the Serbian government, Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlović filed two criminal complaints against Grčić, but neither the government nor the prosecutor’s office took action at the time.
