Good Will No Guarantee of Success

How much has Serbia achieved in fighting corruption? What has, in your opinion, been successful, and what has not?

-- It is difficult to give any exact statements, but Serbia does have trouble with corruption, as do many other countries. The problem exists here, but it exists in the States as well. Public experts believe that certain procedures need to be changed, as do particular legal stipulations, so that Serbia could fight corruption more effectively.

I cannot speak in detail of legal change in Serbia, but what I do know is that the Serbian government and Parliament have dedicated themselves to seriously considering adjustments to the Criminal Proceedings Act and the Seizure of Property Act.

Aside from legal changes, the dedication and courage of people fighting corruption has been strongly emphasized. How important do you think this is?

-- My personal opinion, based on what I've seen in Serbia, is that there is much dedication on part of the authorities in combating this issue. The trouble with corruption is that, even when the prosecution and police are focused on dealing with it, there are no guarantees that the fight will be a success. This doesn't mean that there isn't the will, only that sometimes there isn't enough evidence to make a case. However, what I can say beyond a doubt is that I'm impressed by the members of the police and prosecution, by what they're doing and by their dedication to fighting this problem.

And what does fighting corruption look like in the United States? Is it simpler over there?

-- Corruption cases are very difficult no matter where you are, be it the United States or some other part of the world. American prosecutors and FBI agents can tell you that they had much success at their jobs, but that they also faced many difficulties while working on such cases.

How can you help and where do you see your role in combating corruption in Serbia?

-- The U.S. Justice Ministry sent me to Serbia as an adviser for combating corruption and I'm here to counsel prosecutors and the police regarding issues they may have, and offer advice on areas where work capacities can be improved. We've finished some projects already and I'm currently working on several new ones. These are training projects, while we've also made suggestions to the prosecutors on how they could deal with these cases in an easier way.

Are you optimistic and do you believe that Serbia has adequate experts for fighting corruption?

-- I believe that there are very dedicated, talented and successful police officers and prosecutors in Serbia, and the case of [Supreme Court] Judge Vukcevic [who was convicted of accepting a bribe] was dealt with is an excellent example of this.