Serbia

The hierarchy of the police force was inverted this morning as Marko Kričak, head of the Criminal Police Directorate, and Boško Sekulović, head of the Anti-Corruption Service, were arrested by officers from their own departments. The pair were detained for 48 hours on suspicion of abuse of office. It is a busy morning for the judicial system; elsewhere, the central bank governor faces an investigation into the collapse of Alta Bank and allegations of illicit money transfers by its owner.

The arrests occur against a backdrop of ongoing political activity. Voters are returning to the booths today for reruns at 53 polling stations following discrepancies in recent election polling. In Novi Sad, the city observed 16 minutes of silence to mark the second anniversary of the railway station canopy collapse that killed 16 people. Two years on, there have been three separate investigations but no trial.

The week’s more peculiar criminal matters include the detention of men dressed as cleaners who were filmed removing documents from a pension fund office in Bor. Meanwhile, at the University of Belgrade, the rector has demanded an inquiry after students discovered recording devices hidden above the entrance to the law faculty’s largest lecture hall. Studying the law, it seems, now requires an awareness of surveillance.