Smederevo Mayor Jasmina Vojinović Arrested Over Illegal Radinac Landfill

Police in Smederevo arrested the city's mayor, Jasmina Vojinović, 55, on Thursday, 12 November, on suspicion of failing to take environmental protection measures over an illegal landfill in Radinac, near the city. The head of the city administration, identified by the initials I. S., 43, and the director of the municipal utility JKP Zelenilo i groblja, M. I., 43, were arrested on the same suspicion. The arrests were ordered by the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Smederevo.

What police say they found at the Radinac landfill

According to the police statement, officers from the Interior Ministry's environmental crime unit inspected the site on 2 November together with a prosecutor and national and city inspectors, after several complaints from residents. The dump lies on land owned by the city.

Police say the utility company has no permit to dispose of municipal waste and lacks other documents needed to use the site, and that the city administration has no local waste management plan and no documentation for building a sanitary landfill. The utility director is additionally suspected of unlawfully building and operating facilities that pollute the environment.

Next steps in the Smederevo case

The three suspects can be held for up to 48 hours, after which they are to be brought before the prosecutor together with a criminal complaint. A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office confirmed the grounds for the arrests to Tanjug. No statement from the mayor or the other suspects, or from their lawyers, had been published by Thursday evening. They are presumed innocent unless a court rules otherwise.

Illegal dumps are a long-standing problem in many Serbian municipalities. The case is among several investigations into local and national officials opened since the parliamentary election of 25 October.