Controversy Over Temporary Block of Serbia's Pension Fund Accounts
Conflicting reports arise as Serbia's pension fund account faced a two-day block, raising concerns among officials and the public.
On April 1, 2025, accounts belonging to the Republic Pension and Disability Insurance Fund of Serbia (Fond PIO) were reported to be blocked for a duration of two days, affecting a total amount of approximately 4.7 million dinars.
The block was recorded in the Unique Register of Accounts managed by the National Bank of Serbia (NBS).
Despite this, officials from the Fond PIO asserted that their accounts had never been blocked.
In a public statement, the Fond PIO claimed, "In response to information circulating on social media, we inform the public that the account of the Republic Pension and Disability Insurance Fund has never been blocked.
On the contrary, as of April 3, 2025, at 14:50, the balance in the account for pension disbursement stood at 40,828,407,812.01 dinars."
However, data from the NBS indicates that the account was indeed subject to a temporary block, contradicting the fund's declarations.
This temporary block is not an isolated incident; previous short-term blocks have occurred, including a notable one on October 16-17, 2019, for 4,145,995 dinars, and another from March 25-26, 2019, for 1,784,315 dinars.
The recent claim about the account block was made public by Miroslav Aleksić, president of the People's Movement of Serbia, who on social media alleged that the Fond PIO account was blocked on April 1. Following this announcement, the director of the Fond PIO, Relja Ognjenović, publicly refuted the claims, insisting that the account had never been under any restriction.
According to Aleksić, the timing of the unblocking shortly after the public disclosure raised suspicions of potential internal maneuvering.
Aleksić further stated, "Lies and deceptions are being utilized, trying to convince the citizens of Serbia that there was no blockage.
Yes, the Fond PIO was blocked; this reflects the economic strength of Serbia and highlights the precarious situation of our pensioners and all citizens who believe in the fairytale narratives presented by Aleksandar Vučić."
The Environmental Uprising movement also addressed the alleged blockage earlier on the same day, asserting that the Fond PIO’s accounts were blocked for a total of 4,728,670.96 dinars since April 1, 2025, and sought clarification from Ognjenović and Finance Minister Siniša Mali regarding the reasons behind the account’s blockage.
The NBS updates the total amount of any account block without interest every business day from 9 AM to 5 PM at hourly intervals.
Following the latest updates showing that no accounts belonging to the Fond PIO are currently blocked, the Environmental Uprising issued a further statement requesting the NBS to clarify the legal basis for the initial blockage and why it was lifted immediately after the announcement.
In response to the situation, the movement has announced intentions to file a criminal complaint against the director of the Fond PIO, citing public deception and abuse of public authority.
The block was recorded in the Unique Register of Accounts managed by the National Bank of Serbia (NBS).
Despite this, officials from the Fond PIO asserted that their accounts had never been blocked.
In a public statement, the Fond PIO claimed, "In response to information circulating on social media, we inform the public that the account of the Republic Pension and Disability Insurance Fund has never been blocked.
On the contrary, as of April 3, 2025, at 14:50, the balance in the account for pension disbursement stood at 40,828,407,812.01 dinars."
However, data from the NBS indicates that the account was indeed subject to a temporary block, contradicting the fund's declarations.
This temporary block is not an isolated incident; previous short-term blocks have occurred, including a notable one on October 16-17, 2019, for 4,145,995 dinars, and another from March 25-26, 2019, for 1,784,315 dinars.
The recent claim about the account block was made public by Miroslav Aleksić, president of the People's Movement of Serbia, who on social media alleged that the Fond PIO account was blocked on April 1. Following this announcement, the director of the Fond PIO, Relja Ognjenović, publicly refuted the claims, insisting that the account had never been under any restriction.
According to Aleksić, the timing of the unblocking shortly after the public disclosure raised suspicions of potential internal maneuvering.
Aleksić further stated, "Lies and deceptions are being utilized, trying to convince the citizens of Serbia that there was no blockage.
Yes, the Fond PIO was blocked; this reflects the economic strength of Serbia and highlights the precarious situation of our pensioners and all citizens who believe in the fairytale narratives presented by Aleksandar Vučić."
The Environmental Uprising movement also addressed the alleged blockage earlier on the same day, asserting that the Fond PIO’s accounts were blocked for a total of 4,728,670.96 dinars since April 1, 2025, and sought clarification from Ognjenović and Finance Minister Siniša Mali regarding the reasons behind the account’s blockage.
The NBS updates the total amount of any account block without interest every business day from 9 AM to 5 PM at hourly intervals.
Following the latest updates showing that no accounts belonging to the Fond PIO are currently blocked, the Environmental Uprising issued a further statement requesting the NBS to clarify the legal basis for the initial blockage and why it was lifted immediately after the announcement.
In response to the situation, the movement has announced intentions to file a criminal complaint against the director of the Fond PIO, citing public deception and abuse of public authority.
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