Fifteen suspects for corruption, including the mayor of the city of Obrenovac, were arrested in Serbia. The arrests were made in Belgrade by order of the prosecutor’s office. The mayor, Milorad Gricic, is suspected of abusing his position during his time as the general manager of the public Serbian-Eps electricity company between 2016 and 2022. The prosecutor’s office has stated that he is suspected of bribery, accepting bribes, and other offenses that have caused damage to the state of over a million euros. Other suspects in the case have also been arrested.
The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced police operations against corruption about ten days ago, possibly in response to public anger. The opposition has criticized the prosecutor’s office for allegedly serving Vucic’s political interests and only acting when prompted. The corruption case in the Public Electricity Company – EPS has been under investigation since 2019-2020, according to prosecutor Boyana Savovic. The investigation involves a case of misuse of $7.5 million in EPS, but Savovic claims she was removed from the case by a political decision.
Milorad Gricic is a member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). He was appointed as the general manager of EPS Lignite Mines “Kolubara” in Obrenovac in 2012, despite not having a higher education diploma. His appointment sparked criticism and derogatory comments. However, he continued to rise in power and was appointed as the general manager of the public electricity company of Serbia in 2016. He later presented a diploma from a private university in a city in Serbia.
Mismanagement and the appointment of unskilled executives in key mines led to a power outage in December 2021, affecting 136 thousand households. Serbia was forced to import electricity from abroad as a result. Under public pressure, Gricic resigned a month later but later became the deputy mayor of Obrenovac. He was elected as the mayor of the city in July 2024 with the Serbian Progressive Party.
