Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is accused of intervening in an allegedly illegal plan to cede a protected site in Belgrade for a Trump Tower, leading to the indictment of several high-ranking officials from his regime for abuse of office. This controversy impacts political debate in Serbia ahead of the 25 October elections, as Vučić seeks to maintain his political influence amid widespread protests against government corruption.
On 6 February 2024, Dubravka Đukanović, director of the National Institute for Cultural Heritage, met with the Serbian president to discuss the General Staff building. After Vučić reaffirmed its status as a protected monument in 2016, he allegedly pressured Đukanović to withdraw it for a foreign investor. Serbian law requires an expert opinion before revoking such protection, yet Vučić reportedly used an intimidating tone, suggesting compliance or resignation.
The president’s motives became clearer when a lease agreement with Jared Kushner‘s real estate firm emerged, allowing the company to use the General Staff building’s land rent-free for 99 years. Kushner, who has shown interest in the project since 2021, expressed excitement on social media about the planned construction.
The $500-million project would include a high-rise hotel, a luxury apartment complex, office spaces and shops. Authorities say Kushner’s company has undertaken to construct a memorial complex within the site, commemorating the victims of the NATO bombing campaign.
When the parliamentary debate began, hundreds of protesters gathered outside with banners reading “Culture is not for sale”, vowing not to give up the historic general staff building.
Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta, an Opposition MP and environmental activist, termed the law a “crime”, claiming it would replace a heritage site with “casinos and Jacuzzis.” “Serbia is not a buffet, and Vučić is not a waiter,“ he added. On 13 May 2024, the Serbian government signed a contract to withdraw the site’s cultural heritage status under conditions set by Kushner’s company.
Resignations after illegal building protection withdrawal
A week after signing the contract, Dubravka Đukanović met with Finance Minister Siniša Mali, a close collaborator of President Vučić. The indictment claims Mali urged Đukanović and heritage official Olivera Vučković to withdraw the monument’s protected status. Both women refused, believing legal criteria were not met, and Mali instructed them to resign.
They complied, and Đukanović said in her resignation letter that she could not support actions that would harm the site’s architectural and cultural values. In November 2024, shortly after Donald Trump‘s electoral victory, the Serbian government announced it would remove the site’s legal protection.
Trump project abandoned after first accusations
In January 2025, just four days after his father’s inauguration, Eric Trump announced a joint real estate venture with the Kushner family—a hotel and residential tower in Belgrade that would carry the Trump name. This announcement coincided with widespread protests against the building’s loss of protective status, which followed the tragic collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad train station, killing 16 people and sparking demonstrations against corruption.
In May 2025, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visited the US, hoping to meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, but the meeting did not happen. After returning to Serbia, Goran Vasić, head of the heritage protection institute, was arrested for allegedly forging a report to revoke the building’s protected status. In December 2025, Culture Minister Nikola Selaković was indicted for abuse of office related to this scheme, prompting Kushner’s company to abandon the project.
Vučić accused prosecutors of attempting a coup, while others felt the investigation fell short. Concerns arose when Selaković revealed he was drinking with Mladen Nenadić, head of the prosecutor’s unit for combating organised crime, during a police search at his ministry. Neither Vučić nor Siniša Mali has been charged.
A representative from the prosecutors’ unit stated that investigators have evidence related to the meeting and are assessing potential criminal liability for other individuals. Vučić stepped down as president in September because he cannot run for re-election, but he is expected to retain control if he is elected prime minister on 25 October. Before leaving office, he pardoned 49 persons, though he did not disclose all identities.
The Trump family has denied the allegations. Representatives for the Trump family and Jared Kushner rejected claims that they helped withdraw the building’s protected monument status and dismissed allegations of a political arrangement. Kushner’s spokesperson denied any claims of a “favours for benefits” scheme, arguing that the investment could have turned a painful chapter in Serbia’s history into a symbol of reconciliation.
