It has been a remarkable week in Serbia. Senior police officials have been arrested, court documents have revealed controversial presidential pardons, investigations into alleged abuses of power are gathering pace and senior media executives have resigned.
All this is happening before the country's new parliament and government have even been formed.
The developments follow the October 25 parliamentary election, in which a student-backed opposition movement defeated the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), ending its 14 years in power.
For a country where critics have long accused the police, prosecutors and judiciary of being politically controlled or unwilling to investigate those close to the ruling establishment, the sudden flurry of activity is striking.
It is as if institutions that had been dormant for years have suddenly woken up.
One of the most significant developments came on November 1, when two senior police officials were arrested: Marko Kricak, head of the Criminal Police Directorate, and Bosko Sekulovic, head of the Crime Suppression Service.
Both are suspected of abuse of official position in connection with a murder at a restaurant in Belgrade's Senjak neighbourhood in May. Kricak also faces suspicion of abuse and torture of a man questioned at police headquarters.
Kricak became a notorious figure during last year's student protests. He was accused by student Nikolina Sindelic of physically abusing her and threatening to rape her while she was detained in August 2025.
The two officials have been ordered into custody for up to 30 days to prevent them from influencing witnesses.
Another development concerns former president Aleksandar Vucic's decision to pardon 49 people on September 27, the day he ended his presidential mandate.
Vucic said at the time that 23 of those pardoned were connected to the events surrounding the student protests.
The names of several beneficiaries became public on November 2, when the Higher Courts in Belgrade and Novi Sad published their lists.
Among them were people accused of attacking students and citizens during protests, including a man accused of ramming his car into student Sonja Ponjavic in Belgrade and four men accused of attacking protesters in Novi Sad.
The list also included Dijana Hrkalovic, a former senior Interior Ministry official facing charges of influence peddling.
The publication of the names followed a request by the organised crime prosecutor's office for information about the pardons, suggesting that prosecutors are now urgently seeking to investigate decisions taken by the previous administration.
There are also signs of renewed activity in investigations into the November 2024 collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. That trial has effectively been on hold for the last two years.
Investigations are also under way into the alleged wiretapping of protest activists. Furthermore, a review of all 87 prosecutor's offices across Serbia has been initiated, partly to prevent the possible destruction of official documents.
Critics of the SNS’s 14-year rule have long accused state institutions of failing to pursue allegations involving politically connected figures.
The new parliament and government have yet to be formed, but prosecutors and courts are already moving on cases involving senior officials and alleged abuses under the outgoing administration.
The election seems to have changed the political climate overnight. After years of alleged political interference and accusations of institutional complicity, state institutions are now under pressure to do their jobs.
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