Former Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić has stated that he is not afraid of talk of his arrest and that the new government cannot find a reason to detain him. In an appearance on Pink television last night, he said the story of an arrest was stupid and that they would not frighten him with it.
Vučić claimed that political opponents are trying to find a reason for his arrest but that they will not succeed. "It is very difficult, almost impossible, to find a serious reason for my arrest," he said, adding that he did not know what they would do with him. He accused political opponents of threatening him with arrest to intimidate him, but stated that such threats had no effect on him. According to him, the only thing the new government can do is threaten.
Speaking about financial transactions, Vučić noted that during his term as president he did not sign documents related to money and that he does not sign anything regarding money. He claims the new government cannot find anything from this as evidence for a possible arrest. He emphasised that he has nothing to hide.
Vučić also addressed the pardon decisions he made while holding the office of head of state. He stated that the people he pardoned are not known to the public and that perhaps two or three names are known, one of which is activist Mila Pajić from Novi Sad. According to him, he pardoned 47 or 49 people, but added that he no longer remembers the exact number.
Vučić claims that pardoning was his legal authority as president of the republic and that the new government has no ability to change that decision in any way. He also asserted that pardon decisions cannot cease to be valid retroactively.
His statement about a possible arrest comes at a time when the new government is initiating changes in state institutions and reviewing certain decisions made during the previous administration. Vučić’s list United Serbia lost the extraordinary parliamentary elections on 25 October to the Student List, which subsequently took power. Vučić remains one of the main political representatives of the opposition.
Vučić did not state that an indictment had been filed against him or that he had received an official summons for questioning. His claims about attempts to intimidate refer to statements and announcements by political opponents.
