Tabakovic: Henderson employees threatened with arrest; how will Serbian retirees buy food or medicine

The Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Jorgovanka Tabakovic, stated that today once again a vehicle belonging to the British company Henderson, which had been transporting dinars to Kosovo, had been turned back, and that the employees of this company had been threatened with arrest if they did not leave the crossing.

"Today, in the second attempt by the NBS to supply Serbian and other citizens with dinars, the money was returned, and the people who were transporting it were not allowed to approach the administrative crossing," she said, responding to journalists' questions at the presentation of the inflation report.

Tabakovic emphasized that this was not a technical issue but a political one, as well as a matter of dialogue.

She pointed out that with the implementation of the Pristina regulation at the end of last year, unlike retirees in other countries, retirees in Kosovo did not have the right to receive their pensions in the currency they preferred.

Therefore, she assessed, that one could not speak of the legal basis of some actions but rather of the type of violence.

The Governor highlighted that the British company Henderson, which had a license for the work it did, had been transporting money for years, and the NBS had reported the money transfer, without seeking permission for the money to enter Kosovo.

"If someone today did not receive dinars for pensions and social benefits and cannot buy bread or medicine, what is their alternative? What are they offering us? Opening currency exchange offices?" Tabakovic asked.