EditAlbanian anti-corruption prosecutors freeze assets linked to Kushner-backed luxury resort project
Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the investors’ funds as legitimate and the overall project as vital for Albania’s economy
Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has taken action against a landholding company involved in a high-profile luxury resort development backed by Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, amid an investigation into alleged fraudulent property titles in a protected coastal area.
On or around late May to early June 2026, SPAK issued a preventive seizure order freezing bank accounts of Albania Land Development, a company owned by Qatari investors Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat. The accounts reportedly held approximately $195 million transferred for land purchases in the Zvërnec area. The freeze was reportedly lifted within days after reassessment, though SPAK has not publicly confirmed details of either the seizure or its reversal.
Project details and scale
The development envisions a large-scale luxury resort spanning Sazan Island (a former military base) and parts of the Vjosa-Narta (or Pishë-Poro-Nartë/Zvërnec) protected coastal wetland near Vlora. Initial approvals in late 2024 granted strategic investor status for portions of the project, with reported investment values ranging from €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) to as high as $4 billion, potentially including thousands of hotel rooms, villas, and related infrastructure.
Affinity Partners, led by Kushner (son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump), is partnering on the project. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, visited the site earlier in 2026. Local entities and Qatari partners handle land aspects, while developers emphasize job creation, environmental stewardship, and tourism benefits.
Investigation and allegations
SPAK is investigating 2024 changes to the area’s protected status and land ownership transfers that enabled the project. The probe focuses on potentially fraudulent property titles and organized schemes involving land acquisition in the ecologically sensitive zone.
Albania Land Development purchased beachfront plots for the resort component. One administrator, Redi Struga, has reportedly been subject to searches. Prime Minister Edi Rama has supported probing suspicious prior owners while defending the investors’ funds as legitimate and the overall project as vital for Albania’s economy.
Protests and environmental concerns
The project has sparked widespread protests under the slogan “Albania Is Not for Sale.” Thousands have demonstrated in Tirana and near the site, citing threats to habitats for flamingos, sea turtles, monk seals, and other wildlife in the protected wetland. Clashes occurred between protesters, private security guards, and police, leading to injuries, arrests, and an internal police investigation.
Flamingo revolution spreads: Albanian protests against Zvërnec development gain global momentum
Environmental groups, including PPNEA-BirdLife Albania, warn of irreversible damage. International attention includes concerns from the European Commission (tied to Albania’s EU accession path) and diplomatic notes from Greece over property rights incidents involving a Greek citizen.
Official responses
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Defends the project as a major tourism boost, insists it will proceed, and has criticized some aspects of the protests while welcoming legitimate fraud investigations into land sellers.
Developers: Statements via Sazan Real Estate Development LLC stress responsible development, environmental enhancements, and respect for ongoing processes.
SPAK: Confirmed the broader investigation but has remained largely silent on the specific asset freeze details.
This situation remains fluid, with ongoing protests, a live corruption probe, and broader implications for foreign investment, environmental protection, and Albania’s EU aspirations. Further developments depend on SPAK’s findings regarding land titles and any regulatory or judicial outcomes.
🚨 🔥 MAJOR NEWS: Here’s Why This Story Is Exploding In Albania.
According to critics, Prime Minister Edi Rama met with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump on a Rothschild-owned yacht.
Soon after, a protected stretch of Albania’s coastline was approved for development linked to… pic.twitter.com/R9PPbqFqUS
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 6, 2026
Sources: This summary draws from investigative reporting by OCCRP/Shteg, Politico, Reuters, and Tirana Examiner.
Caption: Albanians living in Athens and Greeks protest holding cardboard flamingos, in Syntagma Square, against the construction of a luxury resort in a protected area, by a company linked to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, an investment of 1.4 million euros, Athens, Greece, 6 June 2026. Large demonstrations took place in previous days in Tirana against the planned investment in an undeveloped coastal zone near the Vjosa-Narta protected area, a wetland that hosts flamingos and seals, and has nesting sites for sea turtles. EPA/Alexandros Beltes
Updated: June 8, 2026 - 06:10
