Serbian Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin is at the center of a scandal regarding an apartment purchased for 205,000 euros, which he claims was bought with money received from an aunt in Canada, but he has yet to provide convincing evidence to the public and relevant state authorities.
The case came to light after a text published on the portal of the Network for Investigating Crime and Corruption (KRIK) was shared on Facebook and Twitter, while Vulin has been avoiding direct answers to journalists’ specific questions about how he legally managed to transfer such a sum from abroad to Serbia, as there is no trace of the money flow.
In just a few days, KRIK’s text about the ‘Aunt from Canada’ was shared over 20,000 times on Facebook and Twitter, and Vulin became the subject of mockery and jokes on social media, while simultaneously trying to avoid answers about the transaction that raises suspicions of possible criminal activity or malfeasance, given that it involves an exceptionally large sum that does not fit the income and assets previously held by Vulin and his wife.
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After entering the government as a coalition partner of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) led by Aleksandar Vučić following the 2012 elections and becoming a representative, Vulin was legally obliged to report his assets and income to the Anti-Corruption Agency, including the newly purchased apartment and the debt incurred from the purchase.
“To the Anti-Corruption Agency, (Aleksandar Vulin) provided an unconvincing explanation that he borrowed the money from his wife’s aunt in Canada. Due to suspicion of committing a criminal offense, the Agency reported him to the prosecution, which suspended the proceedings two years later,” KRIK states.
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Aleksandar and Nataša Vulin purchased a three-room apartment in Belgrade in July 2012, a year that KRIK notes was “particularly successful for Vulin” as Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won the elections in May, and Vulin’s Socialist Movement became part of the government thanks to the coalition with the progressives.
Vulin was awarded a parliamentary mandate in the National Assembly of Serbia, and he was soon appointed as the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Serbian government, where he advanced over the next few years to become a minister, first of labor and social welfare, and then of defense. He is one of the most loyal associates of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
Although the first basic prosecution dismissed the report against Minister Vulin, the Agency still does not know the origin of that money, KRIK writes, noting that Vulin told their journalist that he transferred “nine thousand by nine thousand euros,” which would mean that he traveled at least 22 times to pick up money from Canada and back, which can be easily verified in his passport.
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In the meantime, Vulin’s Socialist Movement issued a statement accusing KRIK’s editor-in-chief Stevan Dojčinović of attacking Vulin because he is “paid from abroad” and that he is a drug addict who hates anyone “who fights for Serbia.”
The Network for Investigating Crime and Corruption (KRIK) is a non-profit non-governmental organization established to promote investigative journalism in Serbia, consisting of a team of journalists who have been uncovering crime and corruption for years. They have been internationally recognized and awarded for their work.
