TS calls for procurement transparency in Serbia

Transparency Serbia (TS) requested that all state and medical institutions publish vital information about everything obtained during the state of emergency that was not in line with the Law on Public Procurements.

TS said that instead of being available at the official public procurement website, information about buying medical equipment came "mostly on Instagram, in media and from Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic."

The organisation recalled that Vucic said Serbia had already ordered 1,100 respirators, while the last public call was published on the website on March 11.

At that time, the purchase of 15 respirators was approved.

"The Law on Public Procurement is in force even during the state of emergency. However, it has not been applied to the expensive purchases currently on the way. How is that possible," TS asked in the statement.

The state institutions should publish information about what kind of equipment and at what cost it was bought.

TS  warned the "statements which could be understood as a call for the violation of the Law, such as those that the respirators were "partly bought on the black market," should be avoided."