Political Elites Are 'Champions of Corruption' in Serbia

“Political elites are champions of corruption in Serbia, with the president, church, and army being the least corrupt,” Zoran Stojiljkovic, a board member of Serbia's Anti-Corruption Agency, told Balkan Insight on Monday.

He explained that political elites buy influence by setting up tenders for privatisation or adjusting laws, or by directing budgetary funds to their own political interests.

A report on perceptions of corruption in Serbia, which was drafted by the Anti-Corruption Agency and the UN Development Programme in Serbia and released on Monday, shows that the level of corruption in Serbia has not decreased.

The average amount of money given as bribes in the Balkan country in October this year was 255 euros, while in October 2009 it stood at 164 euros.

The degree of mistrust among the public is almost dramatic, Stojiljkovic said, adding: “Citizens doubt that serious change can come in the next couple of years."

The police force is the only sector which has improved its corruption ratings, while graft remains high in the field of healthcare, according to the corruption agency.

“The perpetrators of this [corruption in the healthcare sector] are the people who offer bribes,” he said, explaining that Serbians have become accustomed to such corruption as part of the country’s folklore.

A combination of education, preventive and punative measures are the only means to reduce corruption in Serbia. Crucially, however, citizens believe that the individuals who should play a major role in preventing corruption – judges, prosecutors, and lawyers - are corrupt themselves, he added.