A two-day assessment mission on the use of plea bargain agreements in money laundering cases took place in Belgrade on 24–25 June 2025, under the project “Countering Economic Crime in Serbia”. The mission brought together prosecutors from special prosecution for organized crime and regional prosecutorial departments and judges of high courts and Supreme Court to discuss current practices and challenges related to the use of plea bargain in complex economic crime cases. The primary focus of the mission was to support efforts to improve sanctioning policies, strengthen the consistency of judicial outcomes, and explore mechanisms for judicial review and oversight of negotiated agreements.

Following this mission, an in-depth analysis will be developed on the effectiveness of the plea bargain mechanism in money laundering cases, including identification of potential loopholes that leave space for abuses of the instrument, proposals for enhancing of oversight, as well as proposal for introduction of a judicial review mechanism for proposed sanctions. The assessment mission concluded with a debriefing session, highlighting key issues and setting the stage for continued cooperation to enhance Serbia’s institutional response to economic and financial crime.

The activity has taken place within the Project “Countering Economic Crime in Serbia”, funded by the Swedish International Development Agency, and implemented by the Council of Europe.