BELGRADE – Just a few hours after the Serbian prosecution filed an indictment proposal against Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković, Jared Kushner’s company, Affinity Partners, confirmed that it was withdrawing from the planned project in Serbia’s capital.
“Our vision for the project in Belgrade was to deliver an elegant and inspiring design that honours Serbia’s progress. We are proud of the architecture our team developed. However, as major projects should unite rather than divide, and out of respect for the citizens of Serbia and the City of Belgrade, we are withdrawing our application at this time and will not pursue further participation”, a spokesperson of Kushner’s company told N1.
The decision follows the filing of charges against Serbian state officials who were involved in the project, as well as widespread public discontent in Serbia. The suspects are accused of committing two criminal offences: abuse of official position and forgery of an official document.
As reported yesterday by The Wall Street Journal, Kushner worked on these negotiations for more than two years, and the official contract was signed in May last year by then-Minister Goran Vesić with the company Affinity Global Development, which is linked to Affinity Partners.
Under the agreement, Serbia committed to removing the cultural heritage designation from the General Staff complex “in a manner satisfactory” to Kushner’s company, to complete the demolition of the buildings, also “in a manner satisfactory” to the firm of Trump’s son-in-law, and to grant the land on which the complex is located a 99-year rent-free lease, with the option of free conversion into full ownership.
More details about the controversial project can be found in the article below:
