Serbia’s parliament lays foundations for taming the judiciary

The Serbian Parliament has approved a series of legislative amendments to reform the country’s judiciary, a move backed by the right-wing nationalist government.

However, critics have decried the move as a blow to judicial independence.

The Beta news agency reported on Wednesday that 138 lawmakers voted in favour of the legislative package and 37 against.

The amended laws enable the President Aleksandar Vučić, who critics describe as increasingly authoritarian, to intervene more strongly in the affairs of public prosecutors and the judiciary.

Among the bodies targeted by the reforms is the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime (TOK).

In December, it indicted the Minister of Culture – and Vučić confidant – Nikola Selaković.

It accused him of forging documents to obtain the cancellation of the listed status of a building in Belgrade.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and property developer Jared Kushner had his eye on the former headquarters of the Yugoslav Army General Staff, which was heavily damaged by NATO bombs in 1999.

However, he withdrew from the project after Selaković was indicted.

At the time, Vučić fiercely attacked the TOK and threatened it with unspecified “measures.”

The newly adopted legislation was introduced as an individual proposal by ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) lawmaker Uglješa Mrdić, allowing it to be rushed through parliament under an expedited procedure.

This prevented the High Judicial Council and the High Prosecutorial Council – two specialised judicial bodies – from issuing opinions on the reforms.

Mrdić argued the new laws would make legal proceedings more efficient and “return a hijacked judiciary to the state and the people.”

Critics, however, view the reforms as another step away from Serbia’s stated goal of joining the European Union.

Serbia has been in accession talks since 2014, but progress has stalled for years.

Constitutional Court President Vladan Petrov described the fast-track process as a “mistake.”

“Anyone who stands up for law and justice must carefully weigh every step,” he said in an interview with pro-government TV Pink.

The Constitutional Court is generally seen as compliant toward Vučić’s leadership.