Serbian heritage scandal stalls $500 million Trump-branded tower project
A criminal investigation in Serbia alleges that President Aleksandar Vučić pressured officials to strip heritage protection from a historic Belgrade site intended for a Trump-branded tower, leading to the project's collapse.
Investigators uncovered evidence that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić personally intervened in February 2024, urging heritage officials to lift protection from a central Belgrade building that had been damaged in NATO’s 1999 bombing. The property, once the Yugoslav military headquarters, was earmarked for a Trump-branded hotel and residential tower supported by Jared Kushner, with a 99-year lease offered to his company.
Legal experts say the heritage status could only be removed after a formal evaluation, yet the protection was stripped ten days after Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory, allegedly using a fabricated expert report. A criminal indictment filed last December targets Culture Minister Nikola Selaković and other officials, though Vučić, Finance Minister Siniša Mali and the accused officials claim innocence. Kushner’s firm withdrew from the venture, and the Trump Organization publicly denied any negotiations or knowledge of the alleged scheme. The controversy has sparked anti-corruption protests in Serbia and may influence the upcoming October 25 election.
Why it matters
The case links high-level political interference, heritage loss and a stalled $500 million foreign investment, highlighting corruption risks in Serbia.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps portray the tower project as a scandal involving Vučić’s improper intervention and a questionable removal of heritage protection.
LEFT
Frames the story as a heritage scandal revealing presidential interference and a fabricated expert report to enable a Trump-branded tower.
RIGHT
Frames the story as an illegal scheme where Vučić intervened to secure a Trump-branded hotel on protected land.
The left emphasises
- investigators uncovered evidence of Vučić personally urging officials to lift protection
- heritage status was stripped ten days after Trump’s election victory
- a fabricated expert report was used to remove protection
The right emphasises
- Vučić allegedly pressed a senior official to remove the protected status
- the official was replaced and later detained for falsifying an expert opinion
- the leak triggered protests and led to the culture minister’s arrest
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