Serbia’s Culture Minister Nikola Selaković said on Thursday that criminal proceedings against him over the so-called “Generalštab” case were politically motivated and that no crime had been committed, following his first court appearance in Belgrade.
Speaking to broadcaster Informer TV, Selaković said neither he nor his associates had caused damage to the state or gained any personal benefit, arguing that prosecutors had failed to produce financial or economic expert assessments to support the charges.
“There is neither damage nor benefit. The prosecution has not conducted a single expert financial or economic analysis,” Selaković said. “This is a politically staged process.”
Selaković pleaded not guilty on Feb. 4 at the opening of the trial at Belgrade’s Special Court.
Prosecutors accuse Selaković and three other officials from state institutions of abusing their authority and falsifying documents to strip the former Yugoslav army headquarters complex – heavily damaged during NATO air strikes in 1999 – of its status as a protected cultural monument.
The move paved the way for a planned luxury residential and commercial development on the site in central Belgrade. The project had been linked to Affinity Partners, a U.S. investment firm owned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
On the same day prosecutors filed the indictment against Selaković in December, Affinity Partners said it was withdrawing from the project, citing respect for the citizens of Serbia and Belgrade, without giving further details.
The prosecution is seeking a three-year prison sentence for Selaković, alleging that he exceeded his official authority and caused damage to Serbia’s cultural heritage.
President Aleksandar Vučić defended Selaković, saying the minister was not guilty and that even he did not know precisely what Selaković was being accused of.
“Nobody knows what he is accused of – neither I nor anyone else,” Vučić said earlier this week, describing the abandoned redevelopment plan as a well-intentioned attempt to turn a derelict site into a major investment worth at least 700 million euros.
The General Staff complex, designed by prominent Yugoslav architect Nikola Dobrović and built between 1956 and 1963, has become a focal point of political and public debate in Serbia.
Students leading long-running anti-government protests, opposition parties and heritage experts have opposed the demolition of the complex, arguing it should retain its protected status and be restored. The government has said the buildings cannot be rebuilt and should be replaced.