Serbian Lottery Director Quits After Fraud Claims

Vulovic stepped down on Thursday after one of the numbers in the winning combination was shown during the televised draw, sparking allegations that the numbers had been decided in advance.

He said he was quitting because it was his "moral obligation".

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said that police have already questioned six people to see whether there was any evidence of fraud.

"We talked with the members of the [lottery regulation] commission and the presenter of the live show as well as technical staff responsible for the graphical display of numbers and directing the work of the drum [containing the numbers]. They have also been polygraph tested and we have immediately informed the person responsible in the prosecutor's office about the results," Stefanovic told Tanjug news agency.

The State Lottery has denied that there was any wrongdoing and the incident during Tuesday's broadcast was a simple mistake.

"The draw was completely in accordance with the rules and the company abides by the law," it said in a statement.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has warned that fraud will be published.

"If there was any criminal activity, these people will answer to the law," he told media.

The scandal also caused speculation about the possible privatisation of the lottery.

Just hours after the scandal broke, Vucic said that the National Lottery was "slightly less bad than catastrophic, but still disastrous", and said that a private partner might have to be brought in.

Vulevic said however that potential privatisation was not his concern.

"The National Lottery of Serbia was established by the government of the Republic of Serbia and we will respect all the government's decisions," he told...