Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, abandons the project to build a $500 million hotel in Belgrade.
Affinity Partners, an investment company founded by Kushner, has withdrawn from the hotel construction project amid a heated controversy over the location, which was destroyed during the NATO bombings in 1999.
A company spokesperson stated in a RFE/RL obtained statement that the plan to build a luxury complex on the site of the bombed buildings of the Yugoslav Army General Staff has been abandoned.
"Our vision for the Belgrade project was to provide an elegant, uplifting design that honors Serbia's progress. We are proud of the architecture created by our team.
As significant projects should unite rather than divide, and out of respect for the people of Serbia and the city of Belgrade, we are withdrawing the application," the statement reads.
The news of the withdrawal, initially reported by the Wall Street Journal, came after the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office in Serbia indicted the Minister of Culture, Nikola Selakovic, for illegally removing the cultural heritage status of the buildings.
According to The Guardian, the minister has been charged and is suspected of abusing his position to support the project.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced that he will "personally file criminal charges" against "all those who participated in the witch hunt and the destruction of the investment," accusing them of "economic sabotage of Serbia."
"Now we will be left with a destroyed building, and it is only a matter of time before the bricks and other parts start falling off it, because no one will ever touch it again," Vucic stated.
He also rejected corruption allegations related to the project. "There has never been any corruption, nor was this the intention," he said.
The project was strongly contested
The project has long been contested by anti-government protesters in Serbia, Opposition politicians, and the Association of Architects.
Last month, thousands of people surrounded the former Serbian army headquarters in Belgrade, protesting against the law that speeds up its transformation into a luxury real estate complex.
Kushner, who is married to Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, and served as a White House advisor during Trump's first term, announced the $500 million investment last year.
The project, designed by architect Nikola Dobrovic, was to be located in downtown Belgrade, on the site of the former headquarters of the Yugoslav Army General Staff.
The site was bombed by NATO planes in the spring of 1999 as part of a campaign to stop Serbian forces' attacks on parts of Kosovo, still part of the country.
Despite being bombed, the buildings retained their status as a protected area due to what activists deemed their architectural significance.
Under the contract, Serbia was obligated to remove the designation of the General Staff as a cultural heritage and demolish the buildings. The land was to be leased for free for 99 years.