News: Serbia: Vučić signs the “Mrdić laws” on judicial reform

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has signed a package of laws proposed by SNS MP Uglješa Mrdić, commonly referred to as the “Mrdić laws,” which were previously adopted by the National Assembly on January 28.

The opposition has criticized the new legislative package as a “crackdown on judges” and on judicial independence. The European Union has also weighed in, condemning Vučić’s move as a step backward on Serbia’s path toward European integration.

The most significant amendments concern the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office and introduce substantial structural changes: the commission that previously ruled on appeals regarding the mandatory prosecution of cases, the replacement of prosecutors, or the assignment of investigations has been abolished. These powers are now transferred to the chief prosecutors of the immediately higher office.

Among other measures, the legislation updates the framework for combating cybercrime by establishing a special department for high-tech crime within the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, which will have exclusive jurisdiction across the entire territory of Serbia. The reform also предусматриes a territorial reorganization of first- and second-instance prosecutor’s offices and courts.

According to the bill’s sponsor, SNS MP Uglješa Mrdić, the laws are intended to restore the proper functioning of a judicial system that had been “hijacked” by elements of the judiciary allegedly linked to an ongoing “color revolution” in the country.

Photo credits: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM/swiss-image.ch/Photo Moritz Hager, https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/24516966395