A Serbian criminal trial over a proposed $500 million Belgrade project is drawing scrutiny of former President Aleksandar Vučić after The Guardian reported he urged officials to revoke the site’s heritage status.
The case centers on the General Staff military complex. Serbia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime filed charges Dec. 15, 2025, against Culture Minister Nikola Selaković, ministry secretary Slavica Jelača, acting heritage institute head Goran Vasić and acting Belgrade cultural institute head Aleksandar Ivanović. Prosecutors accused them of abuse of office and falsifying documents in the effort to remove the complex’s 2005 heritage designation.
All four pleaded not guilty when their trial opened Feb. 4, The Associated Press reported.
The Guardian, citing two people familiar with a Feb. 6, 2024, meeting, reported that Vučić told Dubravka Đukanović, then head of Serbia’s heritage institute, he wanted the designation revoked. The indictment does not mention the meeting. A prosecutor’s spokesperson told The Guardian that investigators had evidence concerning it and were examining whether others could face criminal liability.
Vučić has not been charged. The Guardian reported Oct. 20 that he subsequently confirmed details of the meeting and maintained he had done nothing wrong.
A leaked agreement reviewed by The Guardian set out a rent-free 99-year lease for Kushner’s company. A separate contract dated May 13, 2024, committed the Serbian government to removing a heritage designation for the site to the company’s satisfaction. The Guardian reported that removal required an expert opinion and that Vučić had reaffirmed the complex’s protection in 2016.
The Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia documented a separate area designation from 2020 and reported that the complex remained on the heritage register as of November 2025. Heritage advocates opposed the loss of protection. Vučić said the proposed development would improve ties with the United States, AP reported.
A spokesperson for Kushner told The Guardian that he had considered the project since 2021, had no role in Serbia’s heritage process and denied that the plan was a political arrangement. The Trump Organization told The Guardian it had no plans to develop a Belgrade project and denied involvement in talks to acquire the site. Kushner’s company said the project would not proceed for now.
Vučić left the presidency Sept. 27 and heads the ruling party’s list in the Sunday, Oct. 25, parliamentary election, which faces a student-led challenge. The Guardian reported that a hearing expected after the vote might include witness testimony about his alleged role.
