Head of cultural protection agency back at work, says he acted “in state’s interest”

Danas said Vasic held a meeting with staff, acknowledging he was aware of what his colleagues had been saying and writing about him in the meantime but assured them there would be no retaliation.

Employees questioned why he hadn’t been upfront about the General Staff case and asked how he planned to carry out his duties as director while facing a criminal investigation.

They reminded him that the Institute was established to protect cultural heritage, which is its legal obligation, and accused him of being the one undermining it.

According to Danas sources, Vasic responded that everything he did was in the interest of the state. He also said he would remain in his role as acting director and that he plans to communicate with colleagues via email.

Vasic was detained on May 13 on suspicion of forging a document that removed the cultural monument status from the General Staff building in Belgrade. It is at this very site that the company Affinity Partners, owned by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, plans to develop a residential-hotel complex.

On May 14, Vasic was brought before the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (TOK), where he admitted to the charges and presented his defense.

The TOK launched an investigation into suspicions that Vasic falsified a proposal based on which the Serbian Government made a decision to revoke the cultural heritage status of the General Staff buildings, paving the way for their demolition.

Although the prosecution requested that Vasic be detained, the Higher Court rejected the request, instead imposing a measure prohibiting Vasic from approaching witnesses. According to unofficial N1 sources, that measure has since been lifted.