The U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned a security official in Serbia. The sanctions against Aleksandar Vulin were implemented on July 11, a Treasury Department press release said.
“Treasury will not hesitate to target actors that abuse their positions for personal gain while undermining effective and democratic governance in the Western Balkans,” Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in the release. “Today’s action holds accountable Aleksandar Vulin for his corrupt and destabilizing acts that have also facilitated Russia’s malign activities in the region.”
The actions taken against Vulin were designed to show America's promise to hold people accountable for being involved in corrupt practices that boost their own political agendas and personal interests at the price of Western Balkan peace and security, the press release said. These dishonest business practices enable Russian nefarious actions in Serbia and the surrounding area, the release said.
Vulin has been involved with transnational organized crime, running unlicensed drug enterprises, and abusing his position of authority, the Treasury release said. Slobodan Tesic, a Serbian arms dealer who has been blacklisted by the United States, has a positive working connection with Vulin, which makes it possible for Tesic's illegitimate arms shipments to pass freely across Serbian borders, and the corruption in Serbia's political institutions has grown as a result of Vulin's actions, the Treasury said.
These behaviors include using his position of power for personal benefit and participating in a drug trafficking organization. His support for Russia has been expressed through his public stances, which have worsened the security and stability of the Western Balkans and given Russia a platform to expand its influence in the area, the release said. Vulin, who formerly held the positions of defense and interior minister, is the director of Serbia's security information agency, the release said. The penalties do not target these institutions.
In accordance with E.O. 14033, OFAC has designated Vulin as being accountable for, complicit in, or having engaged in "corruption related to the Western Balkans, including corruption by, on behalf of, or otherwise related to a government in the Western Balkans, or a current or former government official at any level of government in the Western Balkans," the release said.
