The Public Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime in Belgrade has announced it will seek additional information regarding the case of the Director of the Security and Information Agency (BIA) Aleksandar Vulin.

The United States imposed sanctions on Vulin on July 11 under suspicions of corruption, drug trafficking, and connections to Russia.

The Serbian Prosecutor’s Office stated in a declaration on July 14 that it will request additional information from local and judicial institutions in the United States, as well as from other international partners. The institution stated that it will seek concrete evidence.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime also mentioned that they learned about the US sanctions against Vulin through media reports.

The institution stated that during Vulin’s tenure as Minister of Interior and now as the director of BIA, law enforcement agencies cooperated and successfully uncovered several cases of organized crime and transnational organized crime. According to the prosecutor’s office, the discovery of these cases was achieved through international cooperation.

“During work on these cases, as well as other cases handled by this prosecution, no international law enforcement or judicial institution, nor any domestic institution, has found that Vulin is involved in any criminal activity,” said the Serbian prosecutor’s office.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić declared that Vulin was sanctioned “because I did not impose sanctions against Russia”.

Vučić also stated that the sanctions against Vulin have nothing to do with weapons or drugs.

• Why was Vulin sanctioned?

The US Department of the Treasury stated that Vulin was involved in corrupt activities to “advance his political agenda and personal interests at the expense of peace and stability in the Western Balkans”.

According to the US, Vulin is involved in transatlantic organized crime, illicit narcotics operations, and abuse of official position. Vulin is also accused of “advancing” corruption within Serbian government institutions.

“He has used public positions to support Russia, to facilitate Russia’s malign activity that undermines the security and stability of the Western Balkans, and offers Russia a platform to further spread its influence in the region,” the US Department of the Treasury’s statement said.