A 40-year-old woman from Belgrade has been arrested on suspicion of fraud after allegedly misappropriating public funds intended for socially vulnerable children and employment support programs, Serbian authorities said.
The arrest was carried out by officers from Serbia’s Interior Ministry and anti-corruption units on the orders of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kraljevo.
According to investigators, the suspect, identified as J.A., was the responsible person in two civic associations based in Jagodina. She is suspected of submitting false financial reports and forged copyright contracts between April and December 2021 in order to obtain payments from the city budget.
Authorities allege that a total of 1.28 million dinars was unlawfully transferred through projects titled “Through the Keyboard to Work” and “Empowerment and Support of Socially Vulnerable Children and Their Families.”
Prosecutors said the funds were allocated for programs of public interest but were allegedly used to obtain unlawful personal financial gain.
The suspect has been detained for up to 48 hours and will be brought before prosecutors for further proceedings.
Serbia’s Interior Ministry said anti-corruption investigations would continue across the country as part of broader efforts to combat financial crime and abuse of public funds.