The Trump International Hotel planned for Belgrade has fallen apart. The hotel was to be built on the bomb-damaged Generalstab complex, a protected cultural heritage site. The Serbian government tried to remove this protection. Now, Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic faces trial for abuse of office, accused of falsifying documents to revoke the site's heritage status. Prosecutors seek a three-year jail term. President Aleksandar Vucic has promised to pardon him if convicted. The project was controversial from the start. Many Serbians dislike the idea because US warplanes bombed Generalstab in 1999 during NATO strikes. Washington also backed Kosovo’s 2008 independence, which Serbia opposes. In 2024, Serbia's government made a deal with Jared Kushner, US President Trump's son-in-law, to redevelop the site. Kushner's company, Affinity Global, planned the Trump International Hotel as the project's centerpiece. However, architects, veterans, and students protested. Architects valued Generalstab's design by Nikola Dobrovinic. Veterans saw it as a memorial to those killed in 1999. Students criticized the deal for lacking a public tender process. Despite protests, lawmakers passed laws in November to allow the hotel. In December, prosecutors charged Selakovic and three other officials. Selakovic called the prosecutors an "organised criminal group" and accused them of "targeting the president." Kushner’s company pulled out, citing respect for the Serbian people. Vucic called the prosecution "shameful" and pushed fast judicial changes seen as weakening court independence. The EU criticized these moves as a "serious step backwards." Protesters continue to rally outside the court during Selakovic’s trial. Kushner has now shifted focus to Albania, planning a luxury resort on Sazan Island. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomed the move, but no Trump hotel is confirmed there yet.