In brief
In a significant development, the Trump family’s latest international venture—a luxury hotel and apartment complex spearheaded by Jared Kushner in Belgrade—has ignited controversy and resulted in a criminal investigation into local officials after cultural preservationists raised ethical concerns about the project.
The contentious site, a bombed-out landmark from Serbia's difficult past during the 1999 conflict, was recently declared no longer culturally protected following the Serbian government’s support for Kushner's half-billion-dollar project. This decision sparked outrage among architects and cultural historians, leading to public outcry and accusations of legal violations against the government. Estela Radonjic Zivkov, the former deputy director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, claimed she faced intimidation from state officials but chose to advocate for heritage protection nonetheless. The resistance from these preservationists could impede the ambitions of the Trump Organization, raising broader questions about governance and foreign influence in Serbia.
