Srpska Lista Faces Prosecutors in North Mitrovica
The Basic Prosecution in North Mitrovica has summoned five Srpska Lista officials to testify as suspects in a document forgery case. Igor Simic appeared on August 13.
Srpska Lista Presidency member Igor Simic gave a statement as a suspect on August 13 to the Basic Prosecution in North Mitrovica, in proceedings opened over alleged forgery of a document. He was served the summons on August 5, the same day four other party officials received theirs. After giving his statement, Simic told reporters that he had acted in accordance with the law while heading the Pension Fund. Tanjug published his remarks at 1:54 PM, citing TV Most.
Besides Simic, summonses were also sent to Ivan Zaporozac, Ivan Todosijevic, Zoran Todic and Vasilije Tomasevic. At the time covered by the proceedings, Simic headed the PIO Fund, Serbia’s pension and disability insurance fund, while the other four served as heads of the interim municipal bodies in the north of Kosovo and Metohija. The prosecutor opened the investigation after Kosovo police entered institutions operating in Serbia’s system in the north two years ago, and the charge concerns the issuing of documents that Pristina does not recognize.
What Simic Said After Giving His Statement
Explaining why he responded to the summons, Simic also described how he understands the allegation against him.
“As I said a few days ago when I received the summons, I responded to the prosecution’s call to give a statement as a suspect, as they put it, for the alleged commission of the criminal offense of document forgery. So, in other words, this concerns the fact that I, while heading the Pension Fund, gave a statement to the prosecution, absolutely convinced that everything I did from that position was done in accordance with the law and in the interest of all the citizens who live here.”
He said he would always respond to a summons from institutions because he believes he did not break the law or act to anyone’s detriment. He described the questioning itself as correct, but immediately went on to speak about how the judicial system in Pristina treats Serbs.
“Everywhere in the world, the prosecution is supposed to prove guilt, that something was committed and that it was unlawful, and the court is supposed to establish that in the appropriate judicial proceedings. Unfortunately, we too often see that Serbs have to prove they are innocent.”
Simic also specified what he expects from the further course of the case. “I responded to the summons because I know that, if this concerns rights, it will be dropped and will not go further into proceedings, and how the prosecution decides is up to them,” he said. He called on citizens to remain steadfast and to fight for the right to survive and to stay.
How Srpska Lista Described the Case
The party presented the summonses as political pressure rather than a routine prosecutorial act.
“This is part of a broader plan aimed at persecuting the Serbian people and continuing institutional pressure on all those who remain with their people and defend their right to survive.”
Srpska Lista also said the proceedings have been underway since Kosovo police entered Serbian institutions in the north, meaning this is not a new case but an investigation that has lasted two years and has now reached the stage of taking statements from officials.
Why This Is Not an Isolated Case
Proceedings by the Pristina judiciary against people who held positions in Serbia’s institutions in Kosovo and Metohija have been brought before, so the case from North Mitrovica continues an already established practice rather than being an exception. In recent weeks Serbs in the north have also faced other forms of pressure, from business premises and property to deadlines set by Pristina institutions, so the criminal case against the five officials fits into a pattern that has been ongoing.
What sets this case apart is the circle of people summoned. These are people who ran the pension fund and the interim municipal bodies, in other words the very apparatus through which residents in the north exercised their rights within Serbia’s system. If the proceedings continue, what will be at issue will not be individual conduct but the documents those institutions issued.
Of the five summoned, the public heard only from Simic that day. The next move is up to the prosecution in North Mitrovica: either an indictment or a discontinuation of the case.
