Serbia’s Vucic personally lobbied for Trump Tower in Belgrade

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic directly intervened to strip protected status from a building in Belgrade to allow a Trump Tower to be constructed on the site, according to a report by The Guardian on October 15. The investigation stems from allegations of misuse of office surrounding the project. While Vucic is not mentioned in the current indictment, he is believed to be the first individual linked to a criminal case involving the Trump family's global business ventures.

As per the journalists' account, the President personally demanded that Dubravka Dukanovic, director of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, remove the protected status of the General Staff building in February 2024. Vucic accused the officials present of being lazy and incompetent and offered them the choice of compliance or resignation.

Shortly after, Serbia agreed to lease the site to Kushner's company for 99 years without charge. The government then pledged to remove the protected monument status from the building. Following Donald Trump's win in the presidential election just a week later, the building's protected status was officially revoked on November 6, 2024.

The project, initially planned to cost $500 million and feature the Trump brand, resulted in the arrest of Goran Vasic, the new director of the institute involved, for allegedly falsifying an expert report. In December 2025, Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic was also charged, marking the first time a serving Serbian minister faced criminal charges.

Despite these developments, Vucic and Mali continue to deny any wrongdoing, and both maintain their positions in office. The prosecutor's office has stated that it has evidence related to the February meeting and is investigating potential responsibility for the actions taken.