Serbia’s public prosecutor on Monday filed an indictment against the country’s culture minister over his alleged role in stripping protected status from a historically significant site, a decision that cleared the way for a luxury real estate project linked to an investment company founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The case centers on the former Yugoslav army headquarters in Belgrade, a complex damaged during NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign and long regarded as a symbol of Yugoslav-era modernist architecture. U.S.-based Affinity Global Development, established by Kushner after he left his White House role in 2021, plans to develop the site into a high-end compound featuring a hotel, apartments, shops and office space. The Serbian government signed a 99-year lease for the property with the company last year.
The redevelopment plans have sparked repeated protests, with demonstrators arguing that the buildings should be preserved both for their architectural value and as a memorial to those killed during the NATO strikes. Public anger intensified last month after parliament passed legislation designed to accelerate the project, including measures to fast-track construction permits.
In a statement, the office of the public prosecutor for organised crime said it had indicted Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic, a senior ministry official and the head of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. Prosecutors allege the three were involved in illegal actions related to the removal of the site’s cultural heritage status.
According to the indictment, the defendants are accused of abuse of official position and falsification of an official document. The court must now decide whether to confirm the charges, a process that could take several months.
Selakovic, a close ally of President Aleksandar Vucic, has denied any wrongdoing. Despite sustained opposition, the Serbian government formally revoked the site’s protected status in November, a move that allowed redevelopment plans to proceed. Prosecutors stressed that there is no indication of wrongdoing by Kushner or Affinity Global Development in the case.
The indictment comes amid a period of heightened political tension in Serbia. President Vucic has faced nearly a year of mass protests following the collapse of a station roof in November 2024 that killed 16 people, fueling broader public anger over governance, accountability and state institutions.
