Belgrade prosecutors have ordered the arrest of former Beogradske elektrane director Rade Basta and seven others over alleged abuse of office and money laundering linked to donations. Investigators suspect the scheme involved 14,100,000 dinars in “unfounded” payments from November 27, 2020, when Basta was the company’s director, until dates given differently in separate reports, either June 1 or June 6, 2022. Prosecutors say Basta issued ten decisions without basis to award cash donations to various associations, organizations and societies, allegedly breaching the company decision on assistance to registered groups. Police allege the donations, including payments of more than 100,000 dinars each, were carried out by the company’s executive director for economic and financial affairs, who investigators accuse of knowing the decisions and contracts were issued contrary to regulations. The six other arrested suspects are accused of money laundering. Investigators believe an agreement was reached between June 18, 2021, and March 25, 2022 with representatives at five associations on how the donations would be returned. The alleged method worked like this: after donations reached association accounts, representatives withdrew the money in cash. Prosecutors say about 90 percent of the amounts went to one suspect and about 10 percent stayed with the association as a fee. According to the case materials, eight donations passed through this arrangement, totalling six million dinars. Prosecutors allege the associations either failed to account for the withdrawn cash in their books or recorded it through other payments, creating the appearance that donations were spent as intended. Arrests were carried out by the Anti-Corruption Service of the Criminal Police Directorate, alongside searches of premises. All suspects were ordered held for up to 48 hours before being brought to the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, within the legal deadline. The case is being handled by the Special Department for the Suppression of Corruption, with guilt to be established by a final court ruling.