This story is nuts. Small nuts in the context of everything else that's going on, but nuts all the same. A Serbian official is going on trial, accused of forgery to expedite a Jared Kushner-linked project in Belgrade \1

A company linked to Kushner wanted to turn the site into a high-rise hotel, a luxury apartment complex, office spaces and shops. Cue public outrage \3

But Vucic's government wanted the project to go ahead. Last year it stripped the complex of its protected status and signed a 99-year lease agreement with Kushner-related Affinity Global Development. Parliament even passed a special law to pave the way \4

However, the project stalled after organized crime prosecutors launched an investigation into whether documents used to remove that status were forged. Four people were charged, including a government minister and three other officials \5

After all that, in December Kushner walked away from the project. It had become too controversial \6

Now Vucic ally Nikola Selakovic and three others are on trial, accused of illegally lifting the site's protected status by forging documentation. If convicted they could face up to three years in prison. They pleaded not guilty