Badovinci crossing: 23 police, 4 customs officers held
Prosecutors in Novi Sad ordered the arrest of 25 people, with 29 under investigation, including 23 border police and four customs officers suspected of corruption at the Badovinci crossing.
- The Novi Sad Higher Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the arrest of 25 people on June 13.
- The investigation covers 29 people in total, 27 of them officials.
- The suspects include 23 border police officers and 4 customs officers, with two still at large.
- Prosecutors allege the corrupt acts ran from December 30, 2024 to May 28, 2025.
The Special Anti-Corruption Department of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad ordered the arrest of 25 people suspected of taking bribes for years at the Badovinci border crossing. The operation was carried out on June 13, and the investigation now covers 29 people in total.
According to the prosecution, 27 of the suspects are officials. They comprise 23 border police officers and four customs officers. Two suspects are being sought after reportedly fleeing. Everyone taken into custody has been detained for up to 48 hours.
The suspects are identified only by their initials, among them A.L, D.P, B.O, R.J. and Dj.J. They face charges of accepting bribes, offering bribes, and abuse of office. Prosecutors have not established the guilt of any suspect, and a pre-trial judge will decide on any detention.
What do prosecutors say happened at the crossing?
According to a statement from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad, the corrupt acts took place between December 30, 2024 and May 28, 2025. During that period, the suspects allegedly waved people and goods across the state border without the required checks.
Prosecutors say the suspects allowed a large number of people who did not meet the conditions to cross the state border and move goods without the prescribed border and customs control. When they did detect a violation during their shifts, the investigation alleges, they deliberately failed to launch the appropriate proceedings.
The Badovinci crossing lies in western Serbia, on the Drina river, and is one of the crossings toward Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its location means a significant number of travellers and freight vehicles pass through it each day, which investigators say makes it vulnerable to this kind of corruption.
The operation involved 11 public prosecutors and five deputies, supported by the Internal Control Sector of the Interior Ministry. The scale of the deployment suggests prosecutors are treating the case as a serious, organised form of corruption within the services meant to guard the border.
What happens next in the case?
After the period of custody, prosecutors will propose to a pre-trial judge measures to secure the suspects’ presence during the investigation. The court then decides whether anyone should be remanded, and only once the investigation concludes can prosecutors file an indictment.
Until then, all the claims remain at the level of suspicion. The suspects have the right to a defence and are presumed innocent unless and until guilt is established by a final court ruling.
The Badovinci case raises questions about oversight within the border services themselves and the supervision of officers who decide every day who and what crosses the frontier. Will such a wide circle of suspects lead to lasting changes in how work at border crossings is monitored?
