US EditionSerbian government official faces forgery trial over withdrawn Kushner-linked project
Nikola Selakovic and three officials face up to three years for allegedly forging documents to remove heritage protection for a Kushner-linked project opposed by public and heritage groups.
- On Wednesday, Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic and three other Serbian government officials went on trial at the organized crime court in Belgrade, pleading not guilty to abuse of office and falsifying documents.
- Accused officials are said to have removed heritage protection to enable a Kushner-linked development, with prosecutors alleging Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic forged documents to clear the site in central Belgrade.
- Amid recent legal changes seen as curbing prosecutors' independence, prosecutors held a 10-minute silent protest on Wednesday against the Serbian parliament's recent legal changes and calls organized crime prosecutors a 'corrupt gang'.
- The legal outcome could carry both criminal penalties and diplomatic consequences for Serbia's EU path, as defendants face up to three years in prison and Marta Kos urged retraction of Serbia's parliamentary amendments.
- Widespread youth-led protests challenge Vucic's rule amid a crackdown, as he tightens control following the train station disaster and deepens ties with Russia and China.
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36 Articles
Wednesdays started a process in Belgrade in which the Minister of Culture, Nikola Selakovic, and three other accused, were convicted of alleged illegality in approving a hotel project by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump, transmitted AFP.
InsideNoVA.com
Serbian minister on trial over Trump-linked hotel plan
Serbia's culture minister and other senior officials appeared in a Belgrade court Wednesday to face corruption charges over a scrapped hotel project linked to the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selaković and three other civil servants today denied charges of illegal conduct in the removal of the cultural monument status of the former General Staff complex in the Serbian capital at a special court in Belgrade. All of them denied guilt at the start of their trial today, Serbian media reported.
Heritage vs. High-Rise: The Trial that Divides Serbia
A Serbian minister and others face charges for allegedly altering cultural heritage protections to enable a real estate project financed by Jared Kushner's firm, sparking controversy over cultural preservation and ties with the US. The trial coincides with broader political unrest in Serbia.
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