Balgarianovinite.com Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic has been charged with abuse of office and forgery of an official document in connection with a government’s decision to strip the buildings of the former General Staff of the former Yugoslav Army in Belgrade of their status as protected cultural heritage, Serbian media report.
According to the government’s plan for the revitalization of the two buildings in the centre of the Serbian capital, a luxury hotel will be built in their place by a company linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Under the contract signed between Serbia and the company Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC, backed by Kushner, the state leased the land under the General Staff buildings without compensation and committed to demolish them by May 2026, reported the Serbian portal Radar.
Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic was questioned on Thursday evening by the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime regarding the charges, and his lawyer requested that the proceedings be terminated, Tanjug agency reported.
After the hearing, Selakovic said that the prosecution is “a gang that has usurped part of the state system in an attempt to overthrow the government through the powers it possesses.”
According to statements from various Serbian officials, the new building will also include a memorial to the victims of the bombings in Serbia 26 years ago.
The issue is sensitive in Serbia because it concerns buildings that were bombed several times in 1999 during the 78-day NATO air campaign against the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia aimed at ending the war in Kosovo (1998–1999).
Professional organizations oppose the demolition, while the government claims that the military buildings were so damaged by the bombings that they cannot be restored and that there is a risk of collapse.
In November, the Serbian parliament passed a special law allowing authorities to explore the possibility of construction on the land beneath the General Staff complex of the former Yugoslav Army.
The law was passed after heated debates and earlier protests by students this year, who opposed the revitalization plan for the two buildings, partially destroyed by the 1999 bombings.
Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime launched an investigation into the General Staff case and on December 2 requested that Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic be forcibly brought in, as he did not appear for questioning on November 28 and did not provide valid reasons for his absence.
The so-called Old General Staff Building, designed by architect Vasilije Wilhelm Baumgarten and constructed between 1924 and 1928, was declared a cultural monument of great importance in 1984. Experts warn that its removal from the heritage register is an irreversible blow to Serbia’s architectural legacy. Serbian Culture Minister Charged in Connection with Former General Staff Building Deal 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-05 15:45:39 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
