Nikola Jovanović, director of the Center for Local Self-Government, stated that all major procurements and projects under Belgrade city jurisdiction have been halted amid corruption suspicions. He noted that in May, the city abandoned the tender for 100 new trams because it was clearly tailored for the Romanian manufacturer Astra.
In June, the tender for 300 gas buses was also rejected, as it appeared to favor a Chinese factory. Additionally, tenders for the administration building at the new main bus station, completion of Patriarch Pavle Boulevard, and the connection of the Ada Bridge with Rakovica were rejected. Jovanović criticized the mayor for boasting about purchasing Turkish Bozankaya trams at a price 1.3 million euros higher per unit than in Timișoara, emphasizing the need for a corruption-free Belgrade where the best companies compete fairly and taxpayers’ money is used responsibly.
