Serbia’s prosecutor general orders records protected
Zagorka Dolovac issued the binding instruction on 29 October after reports and video suggested documents may have been removed or destroyed during the political transition.
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Zagorka Dolovac issued the binding instruction on 29 October after reports and video suggested documents may have been removed or destroyed during the political transition.
Serbia’s Prosecutor General Zagorka Dolovac instructed all chief public prosecutors on 29 October 2026 to prevent the destruction of official and other records, DW said. The binding instruction followed reports and video footage suggesting that documents may have been removed or destroyed in state institutions and public companies after the election.
The student-backed Students’ List won the October 25 parliamentary election against the Serbian Progressive Party, ending 14 years of political dominance by Aleksandar Vucic and the party, but the new majority had not yet taken control of the levers of power. A student-led movement had called for accountability after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people.
The instruction required chief and acting chief prosecutors to request police action urgently at state institutions, banks, intelligence agencies and other institutions important to Serbia’s economic, financial and legal security, Fonet said in an account quoting the instruction.
Chief prosecutors must also notify the relevant prosecutor’s office without delay of indications that an official seal or record has been taken or destroyed, or of another offense prosecuted by the authorities without a private complaint. Failure to comply with the instruction is a disciplinary offense, the account said.
The Novi Sad prosecutor’s office said it had sent orders to local police, criminal police and anti-corruption units. Police were told to alert the relevant prosecutors without delay if they suspected such offenses.
The Students’ List also called on employees of state institutions and the media to report document destruction, saying it wanted to prevent abuse by the outgoing authorities during the transition. Prosecutor Bojana Savovic said even an attempt to destroy official records is punishable by law.
Savovic said the success of prosecutions should be measured by final convictions and permanent confiscation of assets acquired through crime, rather than the number of politically popular arrests.
Tanja Arsic, a lawyer and incoming Students’ List lawmaker, warned that investigations must prioritize strong evidence over speed: rushed prosecutions of former senior officials could end in acquittals if prosecutors fail to prove the charges.
An October 29 account put the Student List at 52.71% of the vote and 140 seats in Serbia’s 250-member parliament; formation of a new government remained pending.
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