For the purpose of combating corruption more efficiently, the public prosecutor’s office has undergone specialisation for the criminal prosecution of corruption cases, consequently, the Anti-Corruption Department was established in 2008 within the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office, whereas the specialisation of other public prosecutor’s offices of general jurisdiction was carried out in 2010 through the establishment of the departments for combating corruption and money laundering in appellate and higher prosecutor’s offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš and by assigning the deputy public prosecutor who will monitor the progress in criminal cases related to this field. Furthermore, in 2009 specialisation has been carried out by expanding the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime to include criminal offences of so-called high-level corruption on the grounds of the capacity in which the perpetrators had acted – when the defendant is an acting officer or a liable person who holds a public office based on the election, appointment or designation by the National Assembly, the Government, High Judicial Council or State Prosecutorial Council[1] and the so-called serious corruption – involving criminal offences of corruption where the value of obtained proceeds exceeds the amount of 200 million RSD[2]. With the help and support of local and foreign institutions and organisations we are partners with, including the Judicial Academy, OSCE Mission to Serbia, the US Embassy, Council of Europe, GIZ, etc., specialised deputy public prosecutors have received instruction and professional training encouraging team approach and better coordination with other state authorities which have jurisdiction over the fight against corruption.

Anti-Corruption Department of the Republic Public Prosecutor’ Office monitors the work of basic, higher and appellate public prosecutor’s offices in the proceedings regarding cases involving the criminal offence of corruption, including the criminal offences related to money laundering, as a part of the implementation of the Mandatory Instruction of the Republic Public Prosecutor A. no. 194/10 of 26 March 2010, according to which Departments for Combating Corruption and Money Laundering were set up and based on which all lower-level public prosecutor’s offices were to submit to the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office, through the competent appellate public prosecutor’s office, the data on received criminal charges, passed prosecutorial decisions, first instance judgments, prosecutor’s appeals, if they had been filed, and second instance judgments. This ensures continuity in the work that has been done so far in this field, starting with the Mandatory Instruction of the Republic Public Prosecutor A. no. 6/07, and it enables efficient monitoring and review of the work of the public prosecutor’s offices in each individual case and the provision of expert assistance in the form of offering opinions, suggestions and instructions in order to clarify points of contention in particular cases, with special reference to the cases and reports related to the implementation of the Law on Seizure of Proceeds from Crime.

When the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal Code which entered into force on 15 April 2013 was passed, due to the amendments to the elements which constitute the criminal offence of abuse of official position referred to under Article 359 of the CC, the need arose to review these cases in terms of examining the legal continuity and reclassifying the offence in accordance with Articles 229, 229a, 234, 234a and 208 of the Criminal Code (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia 121/12), examining whether there are other potential criminal offences or whether there are grounds to dismiss criminal charges or desist from criminal prosecution. With reference to this, the Anti-Corruption Department has drafted the Mandatory Instruction no. 1/2013 on the procedure regarding these cases. The procedure for reclassification of the offence is currently in progress.

The representatives of the Anti-Corruption Department are participating in drafting the legal framework for the fight against corruption, including the Anti-Corruption Strategy, Anti-Corruption Action Plan, Strategy for Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, Action Plan for Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, relevant laws and by-law regulations, and they monitor how the public prosecutor’s office is implementing these.

Anti-Corruption Department monitors complaints about the work of the holders of judicial offices which are related to the cases of corruption.

Anti-Corruption Department of the Republic Public Prosecutor’ Office took part in 2012 in the drafting of the Integrity Plan, in accordance with the Law on the Anti-Corruption Agency. The legal framework for enhancing integrity is complemented by the Code of Ethics of Public Prosecutors and Deputy Public Prosecutors and the Rules on the Disciplinary Proceedings and Disciplinary Liability of Public Prosecutors and Deputy Public Prosecutors passed by the State Prosecutorial Council.

For the purpose of combating corruption more efficiently the Anti-Corruption Department has set up and developed a mechanism of co-operation within the legal obligations and powers of the state authorities, through the memorandums of understanding and coordinating meetings between the prosecutor’s office, the police, Tax Administration, Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, Customs Office, Anti-Corruption Agency and State Audit Institution. In addition, in order to promote team work, task forces have been set up as a result of initiatives expressed in meetings with the Appellate, Higher and Basic Public Prosecutors, which consist of representatives of the police, financial police and the prosecutor’s office when the criminal offences are related to corruption, including economic criminal offences which involve corruption.

Members of the Anti-Corruption Department are the deputies of the Republic Public Prosecutor: Olgica Miloradović, Zorica Stojšić, Slobodan Radovanović, Milan Bojković, Secretary of the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office Gordana Samardžić and Zoran Petrić as the consultant.

The Head of the Anti-Corruption Department is Olgica Miloradović.

For the purpose of combating corruption more efficiently, the public prosecutor’s office has undergone specialisation for the criminal prosecution of corruption cases, consequently, the Anti-Corruption Department was established in 2008 within the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office, whereas the specialisation of other public prosecutor’s offices of general jurisdiction was carried out in 2010 through the establishment of the departments for combating corruption and money laundering in appellate and higher prosecutor’s offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš and by assigning the deputy public prosecutor who will monitor the progress in criminal cases related to this field. Furthermore, in 2009 specialisation has been carried out by expanding the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime to include criminal offences of so-called high-level corruption on the grounds of the capacity in which the perpetrators had acted – when the defendant is an acting officer or a liable person who holds a public office based on the election, appointment or designation by the National Assembly, the Government, High Judicial Council or State Prosecutorial Council[1] and the so-called serious corruption – involving criminal offences of corruption where the value of obtained proceeds exceeds the amount of 200 million RSD[2]. With the help and support of local and foreign institutions and organisations we are partners with, including the Judicial Academy, OSCE Mission to Serbia, the US Embassy, Council of Europe, GIZ, etc., specialised deputy public prosecutors have received instruction and professional training encouraging team approach and better coordination with other state authorities which have jurisdiction over the fight against corruption.