Kushner Albania Resort Faces New Scrutiny After Forged-Deed Allegations
Albanian prosecutors suspect a Miami-based businessman of using forged land documents tied to property sold for a Jared Kushner-backed luxury resort project, adding a new legal threat to a development already facing protests and local ownership disputes.
Artur Shehu sold a strip of Albanian coastline in April to Albania Land Development, a company connected to the resort’s developers. Reuters reported that case files reviewed by the outlet accuse Shehu and associates of laundering proceeds from cocaine trafficking through real estate and using falsified ownership documents.
Prosecutors have frozen about €110 million from the sale in a notary account, blocking the money from reaching Shehu while the investigation continues. Shehu denies the accusations. His lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, told Reuters that Shehu is not a drug trafficker or a forger and maintains that the land was legally owned and sold.
The case files do not accuse Kushner, Sazan Real Estate Development, Albania Land Development, or other investors of wrongdoing. Reuters also reported it found no indication that investors knew of suspicions about Shehu when the land was purchased. A Sazan spokesperson said the company believes the land acquisitions were lawful.
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The legal issue lands on top of a broader political and environmental fight. Residents near Zvërnec have contested Shehu’s ownership claims for years, and opponents say the resort threatens wetlands, beaches, flamingos, sea turtles, and other wildlife in the Vjosa-Narta area.
The protests, known as the Flamingo Revolution, have become a visible challenge to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s support for the project. Brussels has also urged Albania, an EU candidate country, to follow EU environmental rules.
The immediate question is whether prosecutors’ land-title allegations delay or complicate the resort’s legal path. The larger consequence is whether Albania can defend a major foreign-backed coastal development while criminal, environmental, and ownership disputes remain unresolved.
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