Jared Kushner's investment firm has abandoned a high-profile real estate deal in Serbia that has turned into a political mess and potential criminal case in that country. The president's son-in-law planned to build a Trump-branded luxury hotel and apartment complex in Belgrade on the site of bombed-out buildings, reports the New York Times. Kushner and his Affinity Partners are not accused of any wrongdoing, but Serbia's prosecutor for organized crime charged four government officials with abuse of office and falsifying documents as part of the would-be deal, per the AP.
"Because meaningful projects should unite rather than divide, and out of respect for the people of Serbia and the City of Belgrade, we are withdrawing our application and stepping aside at this time," a spokesman for Affinity Partners said in a statement, per the Wall Street Journal. The project, years in the making, would have razed heavily damaged government buildings near Serbia's main government offices and replaced them with a luxury complex bearing the Trump name. Those buildings, struck during NATO's 1999 bombing campaign, are classified under Serbian law as a protected cultural site and symbol of wartime suffering.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had strongly promoted the development as a way to draw tourism and investment, while critics accused him of bending domestic law to curry favor with President Trump. After Trump's election, Serbia's parliament quickly began clearing legal hurdles for the project, sparking public backlash and the corruption investigation. Vucic has vowed to pardon anyone convicted in the case.
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