Vučić Says He Has No Fear of Arrest Because He Never Signs Anything on Money
Vučić told pro-government TV Pink he is not afraid of arrest because he never signs anything on money, days after his list lost Serbia’s election. No charge or investigation against him has been announced.
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Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia’s former president, says investigators will find nothing against him because he has never personally signed financial documents or dealt with money.
No charge or investigation against him has been announced. He did not cite any specific case or accusation in his remarks.
A Denial on Pro-Government TV
Vučić spoke on Sunday night (Nov. 1) on “Hit Tvit,” a talk show on the pro-government broadcaster TV Pink. He dismissed the prospect of criminal charges.
“I don’t sign anything or do anything when it comes to money, and nothing can be found in that regard… It’s all just empty talk. They have nothing,” he said, in an English translation published by N1.
According to a translation of the Serbian original, he also said he has never been involved in crime, has never stolen anyone’s money and has no account abroad. He said he would defeat his opponents even from prison, even if he does not win personally.
He has promised a comeback before. After meeting Viktor Orbán in Belgrade on Oct. 31, both men said they would “return” to politics, Clash Report reported.
Defeat at the Polls
Vučić resigned as president in September. His list, led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), then lost the Oct. 25 parliamentary election to the Student List, and he conceded that night, Reuters reported.
Repeat voting at 53 polling stations took place on Nov. 1. Final totals from the electoral commission put the Student List at 53.01% and Vučić’s list at 38.98%.
A seat projection by the monitoring group CRTA, based on commission data, gives the Student List 140 of 250 seats and Vučić’s list 103. The official allocation is pending, and no new government has been formed.
Days after the vote, The Times cited a former police commander and politicians as saying Vučić had considered challenging the defeat by force. His office rejected the claims, Clash Report reported.
Pledges of Investigation
The Student List has promised to investigate abuse of public office, financial misconduct and the destruction of documents in state institutions. Ilija Srdanović, its lead candidate, has said anyone concealing evidence or committing crimes will be prosecuted in line with the law.
His remarks were general and did not name Vučić. Calls for inquiries into alleged corruption and the use of public funds under the previous administration have grown since the vote.
Vučić has repeatedly rejected allegations of wrongdoing and says his opponents have no evidence.
Arrests Around Him
The central bank revoked Alta Bank’s license on Saturday, Oct. 31. On the show, Vučić said it was odd that the move was rushed.
His comments came before prosecutors announced on Monday that they had detained Davor Macura, the bank’s owner, and two treasury employees, N1 reported. They are suspected of abuse of position, with Macura accused of removing cash worth about 45 billion dinars (more than €380 million) from the bank’s vault. The allegation is unproven.
Media outlets have frequently linked Macura to the SNS, N1 has reported.
On Nov. 1, two senior police officials, Marko Kričak and Boško Šekulović, were also arrested on suspicion of abuse of office. The chief prosecutor said the arrests were unrelated to the election result. Vučić said on the show he was unhappy about Kričak’s situation.
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