Serbia’s Anti-Corruption Agency said on Wednesday it would request information and evidence from all political entities, including the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, following media reports about alleged daily payments to participants at a party rally in Belgrade.
The move comes after broadcaster N1 reported on payments to attendees at an event held in the Belgrade Arena.
The agency said it would examine the data as part of its oversight and would also include the checks in its audit of political parties’ annual financing reports for 2026. It added that findings of the review would be made public.
Separately, the agency said it had deployed three observers to monitor election campaigns ahead of local elections scheduled for March 29 in 10 cities and municipalities.
In line with regulations, observers are tasked with tracking campaign activities of all political participants in order to record election-related spending. These include public rallies, distribution of promotional materials, media advertising, billboard campaigns, and social media promotion.
Observers submit reports to the agency, which are then used to verify political entities’ financial disclosures. The reports will also be publicly available, it said.
The agency reiterated that, under the law on financing political activities, political entities are required to disclose all revenues and expenditures related to election campaigns.
It added that previous audits had shown that some parties reported costs linked to organising public events, including venue rental, transport, travel expenses, daily allowances, stage setup, and equipment hire.
Political parties must submit final campaign finance reports within 30 days of the announcement of final election results. The agency is required to publish its audit report within 120 days after the submission deadline.