Srbijagas under Dušan Bajatović

Category: Money and deals

Period: from Nov 2008

Dušan Bajatović, an official of the SPS and a member of parliament, has run the state-owned company Srbijagas since 2008, even though his term expired in 2018 and no competition for the director's post has ever been completed. Under him, Srbijagas picks its gasification contractors without tenders: the State Audit Institution found that in 2024 alone it procured works worth 15,35 billion dinars without public procurement, while loans guaranteed by the state are being repaid from the budget. None of the eight cases has ended in a verdict; an indictment has been confirmed only over a 2022 traffic accident, which his lawyer says is unfounded.

A director without a completed competition

Dušan Bajatović, an official of the Socialist Party of Serbia and a member of parliament, has run the state-owned company Srbijagas since 2008. He stayed at its head after the SNS came to power in 2012, even though his term expired in 2018 and no competition for the director's post has been completed.

In 2020 SPS leader Ivica Dačić announced that Bajatović would remain at the head of Srbijagas as part of the power-sharing deal with the SNS.

Gasification without tenders

Under Bajatović, Srbijagas pays for the gasification of towns and municipalities itself and picks contractors without tenders, declaring them "strategic partners". Insajder counted at least €240 million in contracts with "strategic partners".

The State Audit Institution found, for 2019–2020 and again for 2024, works worth more than 15 billion dinars procured without public procurement (15.35 billion dinars in 2024 alone). The same firms were hired without tenders on TurkStream, and according to RFE/RL, the gasification of Kragujevac was contracted the same way in 2025.

Debts paid by the budget

Loans to Srbijagas guaranteed by the state are repaid from the budget. In 2019 the Government wrote off Srbijagas's entire debt to the state, €1.2 billion. The Fiscal Council estimates that in the 2026 budget, too, about 70% of the money for called guarantees goes on Srbijagas's debts.

Complaints left sitting or dismissed

Criminal complaints filed in 2013 over the gasification work sat untouched for years because, according to the prosecution, the Interior Ministry did not submit its reports. According to Insajder, the prosecution dismissed them in 2024, concluding that there had been no irregularities.

The outcome of the 2013 complaints by the State Audit Institution is not known. Investigations into billing for facades that had already been paid for and into the gasification of Ćićevac have not been completed, and no proceedings are known over Grocka or the South Stream money.

Undeclared income and a traffic accident

None of the eight cases has ended in a verdict. A criminal complaint against Bajatović over undeclared income was dropped in 2015 after he paid 200,000 dinars.

An indictment has been confirmed only over a 2022 traffic accident in which a woman was seriously injured. His defence lawyer says the indictment is unfounded.

Participants

Dušan Bajatović: Head of Srbijagas since 2008, his term expired in 2018; he allegedly contracted gas pipelines worth at least €240 million without tenders (responsible)
PE Srbijagas: In 2019 the government wrote off its entire €1.2 billion debt to the state, most of which came from called state guarantees (responsible)
Government of the Republic of Serbia: In a decision of 26 March 2019 it wrote off Srbijagas's entire debt to the state, €1.2 billion, most of which stemmed from state guarantees (responsible)
Socialist Party of Serbia: According to Ivica Dačić in 2020, under a deal with the SNS it kept Bajatović at the head of Srbijagas and got "one more important company" (responsible)
Ivica Dačić: He said in October 2020 that Bajatović would remain at the head of Srbijagas and that the SPS would get "one more important company" (commented on the case)
National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia: On 11 May 2026 the Finance Committee considered bills on state guarantees for Srbijagas loans (commented on the case)
Ana Brnabić: After Bajatović was removed from a meeting, she said she had "very good cooperation" with him (commented on the case)
Zorana Mihajlović: She removed Bajatović from a meeting and asked the auditors to examine Srbijagas's operations (oversight and the public)
State Audit Institution: It found that Srbijagas had carried out 15.5 billion dinars' worth of gasification without public procurement and had still not remedied this by the audit for 2024. (oversight and the public)
Fiscal Council of the Republic of Serbia: It cited a debt of €1.3 billion at the end of 2017 and said that about 70 percent of the guarantees for 2026 go to Srbijagas (oversight and the public)
Insajder: It showed that since Bajatović's arrival Srbijagas has contracted gas pipelines worth at least €240 million without tenders (oversight and the public)
Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad: Received a 2013 criminal complaint against Bajatović over contracts signed without procurement and forwarded it to the police (investigation and courts)
Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime: According to Insajder, after eleven years of preliminary investigation, three complaints over gasification contracts awarded without a tender were dismissed (responsible)
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia: For years it has not sent the prosecution reports on its checks into gas network contracts awarded without tenders, so no investigation into the complaints has even begun (responsible)
Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (until 2020 the Anti-Corruption Agency): Its register shows that Bajatović's monthly income exceeded 2.3 million dinars in 2021 (investigation and courts)
Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Niš: Allegedly led the investigation into a facade billed twice, causing 22.8 million dinars in damage (investigation and courts)
Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad: In 2025 it filed an indictment against Bajatović over a 2022 traffic accident in which a woman was seriously injured (investigation and courts)
Basic Court in Novi Sad: Confirmed the indictment against Bajatović in December 2025, and refused to give journalists information about the proceedings (investigation and courts)