An investigation reportedly ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump into his close associate Richard Grenell over allegations of influence-peddling could bring renewed attention to Grenell’s business connections with Serbian officials, particularly his reported involvement in the controversial General Staff redevelopment project in Belgrade.
The project, which envisaged building a luxury complex on the site of the former Yugoslav Army General Staff headquarters damaged during NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign, sparked widespread protests across Serbia. It has also become the subject of a criminal investigation involving allegations of abuse of office and document forgery.
In comments to Nova.rs, lawyer Jovan Rajić said the U.S. investigation could have implications for Serbia’s leadership, although it remains unclear whether it will uncover information related to the General Staff case.
Trump reportedly orders investigation into Grenell
According to Axios, Trump ordered an investigation into Grenell over allegations that he offered to arrange access to senior U.S. administration officials and exclusive events in exchange for a donation to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The report said the White House Counsel’s Office was conducting the inquiry following information provided to Trump earlier this month by Alina Habba, a former adviser and lawyer to the U.S. president. Habba reportedly alleged that Grenell made the offer in May 2025 to Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon.
The allegations have not been established as fact. However, the reported investigation has drawn attention to Grenell’s relationships with political and business figures outside the United States, including officials in Serbia.
Grenell, a longtime Trump ally, developed close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and previously served as Trump’s special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo peace negotiations. Vučić also awarded him a Serbian state decoration.
Grenell’s reported role in the General Staff project
Grenell has been publicly supportive of the proposed redevelopment of the General Staff site, describing it as a potentially valuable luxury project for Serbia.
The project was associated with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, whose company, Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC, entered into an investment agreement with Serbia in May 2024.
According to reporting by the Serbian weekly Radar, the agreement envisaged a joint venture in which the U.S. partner would hold a 77.5% stake and Serbia 22.5%.
The agreement reportedly required Serbia to remove the site’s protected cultural heritage status in a manner satisfactory to Kushner’s company, complete demolition work to the company’s satisfaction, and provide the land through a 99-year lease at no cost, with an option to convert the lease into ownership without payment.
Radar also reported that the agreement allowed it to be transferred to a related party of the strategic partner in the United Arab Emirates without Serbia’s consent.
The publication further reported, citing an informed source, that Serbian Finance Minister Siniša Mali and Grenell had discussed the project directly. According to that account, the proposal involved establishing a joint company between the Serbian state and Kushner’s business interests to build two towers and a luxury hotel, potentially through a company based in the United Arab Emirates.
These reported discussions have not, in the material cited, been established as evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Grenell, Mali or Vučić.
Lawyer says investigation could have wider consequences
Rajić told Nova.rs that the reported investigation could bring additional information to light, given Grenell’s previously reported connections with Serbian officials and the General Staff project.
He argued that the inquiry could be significant for Serbia’s current leadership, while cautioning that the extent of any consequences would depend on what investigators uncover.
Rajić also pointed to the decision by Kushner’s business to withdraw from the General Staff project following public opposition and concerns over the reputational risks associated with the deal.
The proposed development became a major point of controversy in Serbia, prompting demonstrations involving tens of thousands of people, including students and other opponents of the government’s handling of the site.
The British newspaper The Guardian has also reported that Vučić intervened to advance the plan to make the protected Belgrade site available for the proposed development. That report added to scrutiny of the government’s role in the project.
Criminal proceedings in Serbia
The General Staff case is already the subject of criminal proceedings in Serbia. The Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office has accused individuals in the case of abuse of office and document forgery.
Those named among the suspects include Culture Minister Nikola Selaković, acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments Goran Vasić, acting director of the Belgrade Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments Aleksandar Ivanović, and Culture Ministry secretary Slavica Jelača.
The allegations are being examined through Serbia’s judicial process, and the individuals concerned are entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Kushner’s withdrawal from the project followed sustained public opposition. Whether the U.S. investigation into Grenell will reveal information relevant to the Serbian proceedings remains uncertain.
For now, the reported inquiry concerns allegations involving access to U.S. officials and events in exchange for a donation. Any connection to the General Staff case would need to be established through evidence rather than inferred from Grenell’s reported business and political relationships.
