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The US sanctions the former interior minister of Serbia/ Accusations of organized crime and destabilization

2023-07-11 17:04:44, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US sanctions the former interior minister of Serbia/ Accusations of

The director of the Security and Information Agency of Serbia (BIA), Aleksandër Vulin, has been added to the US sanctions list.

This was announced by the Office for the Control of Foreign Assets in the US Department of the Treasury.

According to the Treasury, Vulin has been involved in corrupt affairs to "advance his political agendas and his personal interests at the expense of peace and stability in the Western Balkans".

"These corrupt deals facilitated malicious Russian activity in Serbia and the region," the announcement said.

According to the announcement of the Treasury, Vulin is involved in transatlantic organized crime, illegal narcotics operations and abuse of office.

"Vulin has maintained mutually beneficial relations with the arms trafficker, Slobodan Teši?, enabling his arms shipments to move freely across the borders of Serbia," the announcement said.

Tesic has been on the US blacklist since 2017.

The Treasury accused Vulini of "advancing" corruption within Serbian governing institutions.

This, according to Washington, also includes the use of authority for personal gain "such as involvement in a drug trafficking network."

"He has used public positions to support Russia, facilitate Russia's malign activity that degrades the security and stability of the Western Balkans, and provides Russia with a platform to further spread its influence in the region," the statement said.

Vulin previously served as Minister of Defense and Interior in Serbia.

The US Treasury Department said it will not hesitate to target actors "who abuse their positions to profit by undermining effective and democratic governance in the Western Balkans".

"Today's actions hold Aleksandar Vulin accountable for his corrupt and destabilizing actions that have also facilitated Russia's malign activities in the region," said Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.

The imposition of sanctions means that all properties that Vulini may have in the US, or that are controlled by US citizens, will be blocked. Also, he is prohibited from making transactions with American citizens./ REL