BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian police raided the offices of two Belgrade-based democracy watchdogs, seeking information about possible abuse of funds donated by the U.S. international aid agency (USAID)
Serbian Police Investigate USAID Fund Misuse in Watchdog Raids
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian police raided the offices of two Belgrade-based democracy watchdogs, seeking information about possible abuse of funds donated by the U.S. international aid agency (USAID), Nenad Stefanovic, a senior state prosecutor, said on Tuesday.
The move came after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump froze USAID funding for 90 days in January and has since sought to scale down the aid agency.
NGOs, media and humanitarian projects worldwide have been affected, including those in southern and eastern European countries like Bosnia and Hungary.
Stefanovic said prosecutors sought information from the U.S. following statements by Trump, State Secretary Marco Rubio, billionaire Elon Musk and other U.S. officials about the freeze of USAID funding.
Stefanovic said the CRTA pollster and the watchdogs Civic Initiatives, Trag, and the Policy Center were under investigation following allegations by top U.S. officials about excessive spending of USAID funds.
"The (Serbian) Special Anti-Corruption Department... contacted the U.S. Justice Department for information concerning USAID over the abuse of funds, possible money laundering, and the improper spending of American taxpayers’ funds in Serbia," he said in a TV broadcast.
Stefanovic added that the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office had ordered the confiscation of all documentation related to USAID from the four organisations and ordered interviews with individuals in charge of spending.
Maja Stojanovic, executive director of Civic Initiatives, said around 20 detectives raided her organisation's offices without presenting a court order.
"Today's intrusion by the police... represents a brutal demonstration of force and continued pressure on civil society in Serbia," Stojanovic said.
The raids came amid ongoing mass student protests against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
Students, opposition parties and rights watchdogs accuse authorities loyal to Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party of rampant corruption, bribing voters, stifling media freedom, violence against opponents, and ties with organised crime.
Vucic and his allies deny the allegations.
USAID has invested almost $1 billion in Serbia since 2001 to bolster growth, strengthen the rule of law and improve good governance, including donations to government bodies and parliament, as well as to a number of watchdogs and rights organisations.
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Ed Osmond)
