Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has denied any delays in the plans of Jared Kushner’s company—the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump—to build a luxury hotel on the site of the former Yugoslav Army General Staff complex in central Belgrade.
Goran Vasić, acting director of the institution overseeing the property, was arrested on May 13 on suspicion of forging documents that led the Serbian government to revoke the cultural heritage protection status of the General Staff building.
When asked about this by Bloomberg on Friday in Tirana, Vučić stated that “there was no forgery” and added, “we will discuss it with everyone.”
On May 14, Serbia’s organized crime prosecutor announced that Goran Vasić had been questioned and—according to the Institute—had admitted to the offense he was charged with.
Following these developments, Kushner’s company, Affinity Partners, announced that the future of the luxury hotel project planned for the site of the former General Staff complex is now uncertain.
“Today, through the media, we learned that a former Serbian government official, with no connection to our company, is suspected of falsifying documents related to the cultural protection status for the ‘Belgrade Square’ project,” the company said on May 15, adding that “we will investigate the situation and take appropriate steps.”
The removal of the cultural heritage designation had cleared the way for Kushner’s company to develop a luxury hotel and high-rise buildings on the site of a mid-20th-century modernist structure—an initiative strongly opposed by Serbia’s professional and architectural community.
As reported by Bloomberg, Vučić compared the forgery allegations to those made in connection with the “Belgrade Waterfront” project, claiming that everyone is now proud of that development. Vučić added that Kushner’s project is “important for us.”
On May 15, 2024, the Serbian government signed an agreement with Kushner’s company, Affinity Global Development, to “revitalize” the complex, granting the land under a 99-year lease.
