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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Information on USAID operations requested from US authorities

Belgrade, 28 February 2025

The Ministry of Justice has forwarded to the US Department of Justice a request from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade for the delivery of the necessary information regarding the suspicions expressed by the country’s highest state officials regarding the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The statement from the Ministry of Justice notes that the suspicions of US officials, referring to matters that include non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Serbia, were expressed in connection with the misuse of funds, possible money laundering and misuse of US taxpayer funds.

The Ministry of Justice forwarded the request from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, which formed a case in the matter, to the appropriate US department, in accordance with the rules on international legal assistance in criminal matters.

The reason for contacting the US Department of Justice is the fact that data on the allocation and spending of USAID funds are not automatically available to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Serbia.

According to the rules established by that organisation itself, USAID decides on what data to provide to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and only after the Public Prosecutor’s Office proves to USAID that there are specific suspicions of irregularities and money laundering.

The request to the US Department of Justice followed the launch of the pre-investigation procedure by the Special Anti-Corruption Department in Belgrade in order to determine the existence of elements of the criminal offenses of abuse of office and money laundering, against currently unknown persons.

The concentration of funds in the accounts of several NGOs or affiliated consulting firms in Serbia, along with a non-transparent process of allocating funds to only a narrow circle of NGOs and the absence of comprehensive financial reports, indicate that there are grounds for doubt about the legality of the spending of USAID funds.

The US Department of Justice has been requested to assist in obtaining evidence, providing information or possible expert findings, providing financial, economic or business records (contracts, invoices, etc.), data from banks or other financial institutions, and identifying or locating proceeds of crime or other facts that may serve as evidence in criminal proceedings before a competent court in Serbia.