On 29 June 2007, the National Assembly of Serbia appointed Janković to the newly established post of the National Ombudsman for a five-year term with 143 votes for.
On 4 August 2012, he was re-appointed to the new five-year term with 167 votes for, one abstention, and no votes against.
His re-election was supported by all parties in the Assembly.

Janković came into conflict with the Government of Serbia and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić in 2014 while investigating an incident in which Vučić's brother Andrej was beaten by gendarmes during a pride parade in central Belgrade.
During a hearing in the National Assembly, Janković claimed that Military Security Agency broke the law during the incident.
He was then attacked by the MPs of the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić.
After that, several MPs of the SNS heavily criticized the Ombudsman and called for Janković to resign claiming his actions were politically motivated.
Some MPs and pro-government media outlets even claimed that Janković was responsible for suicide that a friend of Janković committed in 1993 in Janković's apartment using his pistol.
OSCE and the European Commission expressed concerns about those attacks against Janković.
Journalist Dragan Janjić wrote that Janković is a target of a "smear campaign" orchestrated by Vučić.

Janković clashed with the Government again in April 2015 when he claimed that Bratislav Gašić was responsible for a military helicopter crash in which 7 people have died.
Janković criticized Vučić for protecting Gašić, whom Janković blamed for the accident.

Next confrontation between Janković and the Government came in May 2016 when Janković claimed that the Government is responsible for demolishing buildings in Belgrade's Savamala neighborhood under cover of the night by several dozen masked persons.
Janković's report claimed that the police was ordered not to intervene during the demolition.
After this, Janković was again heavily attacked by the MPs of the Serbian Progressive Party and Serbian Radical Party, who claimed that Janković is not protecting citizens, but is promoting himself instead.

In late 2016, media outlets started speculating that Janković might be a suitable candidate of the opposition at the 2017 Serbian presidential election.
In November 2016, one hundred prominent public figures signed a petition to Janković calling him to run for President in 2017.
He did not give any definitive answer at the time, saying that the time is not right for such a decision.
This was heavily criticized by the leadership of the Serbian Progressive Party and their partners who called Janković a "politician" who only works on his political promotion and called for him to resign.
In 2017, Amnesty International reported pro-government media in Serbia continued to smear independent journalists and human rights defenders, as well as the Ombudsperson's Office.

Janković officially resigned his ombudsman post on 7 February 2017 in order to run for President.
On 29 June 2007, the National Assembly of Serbia appointed Janković to the newly established post of the National Ombudsman for a five-year term with 143 votes for. On 4 August 2012, he was re-appointed to the new five-year term with 167 votes for, one abstention, and no votes against. His re-election was supported by all parties in the Assembly.
Janković came into conflict with the Government of Serbia and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić in 2014 while investigating an incident in which Vučić's brother Andrej was beaten by gendarmes during a pride parade in central Belgrade. During a hearing in the National Assembly, Janković claimed that Military Security Agency broke the law during the incident. He was then attacked by the MPs of the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić. After that, several MPs of the SNS heavily criticized the Ombudsman and called for Janković to resign claiming his actions were politically motivated. Some MPs and pro-government media outlets even claimed that Janković was responsible for suicide that a friend of Janković committed in 1993 in Janković's apartment using his pistol. OSCE and the European Commission expressed concerns about those attacks against Janković. Journalist Dragan Janjić wrote that Janković is a target of a "smear campaign" orchestrated by Vučić.
Janković clashed with the Government again in April 2015 when he claimed that Bratislav Gašić was responsible for a military helicopter crash in which 7 people have died. Janković criticized Vučić for protecting Gašić, whom Janković blamed for the accident.
Next confrontation between Janković and the Government came in May 2016 when Janković claimed that the Government is responsible for demolishing buildings in Belgrade's Savamala neighborhood under cover of the night by several dozen masked persons. Janković's report claimed that the police was ordered not to intervene during the demolition. After this, Janković was again heavily attacked by the MPs of the Serbian Progressive Party and Serbian Radical Party, who claimed that Janković is not protecting citizens, but is promoting himself instead.
In late 2016, media outlets started speculating that Janković might be a suitable candidate of the opposition at the 2017 Serbian presidential election. In November 2016, one hundred prominent public figures signed a petition to Janković calling him to run for President in 2017. He did not give any definitive answer at the time, saying that the time is not right for such a decision. This was heavily criticized by the leadership of the Serbian Progressive Party and their partners who called Janković a "politician" who only works on his political promotion and called for him to resign. In 2017, Amnesty International reported pro-government media in Serbia continued to smear independent journalists and human rights defenders, as well as the Ombudsperson's Office.
Janković officially resigned his ombudsman post on 7 February 2017 in order to run for President.
Saša Janković