New York, USA – The Trump family faces an uncomfortable issue regarding a $500 million luxury hotel project in Serbia, planned for construction on the site of the bombed Ministry of Defense building, writes The New York Times.
Namely, a key document relied upon by the Serbian government to enable this deal was falsified, officials announced this week.
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, along with business partners, plans to build a luxury residential and commercial complex on the site of the bombed General Staff, which would include a “Trump International” hotel, the first of its kind in Europe.
The director of the Serbian Agency for the Protection of Cultural Monuments admitted to authorities that he forged a government document that allowed the demolition of the former headquarters of the Yugoslav Ministry of Defense in Belgrade, to make way for the Trump hotel.
The project received preliminary approval from the Serbian government last year, even before the cultural heritage status of the complex, which was severely damaged during the 1999 NATO bombing, was formally revoked.
Officials claim that the agency director, Goran Vasić, falsified an expert opinion to justify the government’s decision to strip the complex of its cultural heritage status.
“Vasić falsified the proposed decision on the revocation of cultural property status,” stated the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime.
The falsified document served as the legal basis for removing protection from the complex. Mr. Vasić now faces charges of abuse of office and forgery of official documents, officials from Belgrade confirmed this week.
FIND OUT MORE IN ENGLISH:
Project’s Fate Now Uncertain
Kushner’s company, “Affinity Partners,” stated that it had no role in the review of the site’s cultural status. Work on the site has not yet begun, and the project’s fate is now uncertain, the company says.
“We learned today from media reports that a former Serbian government official, with no connection to our firm, allegedly falsified documents regarding the protected cultural property status of the ‘Belgrade Square’ project,” the statement said. “We will examine the situation and take next steps.”
In Serbia, the news that the historic complex would be demolished to build a luxury hotel for the benefit of the American president sparked outrage.
Opposition leaders in the National Assembly point to the admission of document forgery as evidence that the Trump and Kushner family companies received special treatment.
“All this was done to make room for the Trumps,” said MP Dragan Jonić, one of the organizers of protests against the project.
The land at the location is planned to be leased to Kushner and his partners for 99 years, according to the terms of the preliminary agreement. This would be the first joint project of the Kushner and Trump families.
“Serbia is one of the fastest-growing countries in Europe, and we are extremely honored to be present there,” said Eric Trump, President Trump’s son, in a January interview, adding that “it will be fun to bring the family together.”
Several protests have been held in Belgrade against the demolition of the complex. The latest was in March, on the 26th anniversary of the NATO bombing.
The protests at the project site are part of a broader student movement against the Serbian president and his government. They began in November after a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Students and opposition politicians blamed the accident on poor work by contractors linked to corrupt officials.
Donald Trump Jr., President Trump’s eldest son, has visited Serbia twice in recent months to express support for President Aleksandar Vučić, whose administration quickly approved the Trump and Kushner family hotel project. Those visits helped Vučić strengthen his position amid protests calling for his resignation.
The project in Serbia is one of several recent Trump family deals involving foreign governments. Others include a $2 billion investment from the United Arab Emirates in the Trump family’s crypto company, as well as luxury real estate projects in Qatar and Oman.
Lawyers specializing in ethics, including former White House legal advisors from both Republican and Democratic administrations, have stated that the involvement of foreign governments in such deals creates the appearance of corruption, or at least preferential treatment for the president’s family.
“It creates the appearance, if not the reality, that U.S. foreign policy can be influenced by the business interests of the president and his family,” said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics counsel during President George W. Bush. “It is extremely dangerous to have a president with business interests around the world.”
MORE TOPICS:
“THE DECEASED USUALLY HAVE NO RIGHT TO VOTE”: Students in blockade called for a voter list check!
Source: Danas, Foto: ATA Images