Albania probes resort land deeds tied to Kushner | JQJO

Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) is investigating whether a Miami-based businessman falsified deeds for coastal land earmarked for a multi-billion-euro luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners. In case files made public on Saturday, July 11, 2026, and reviewed by Reuters, prosecutors allege that the businessman, identified as Shehu, used forged historical land documents to claim ownership of property on the pristine Zvërnec peninsula in southwestern Albania before selling it for about €110 million ($119 million). SPAK has ordered the transaction funds frozen in a notary’s account while it investigates suspected fraud, forgery and money laundering connected to the deal.

Albania’s capital, Tirana, has promoted the planned development on the Zvërnec peninsula and nearby Sazan Island as a flagship project for tourism, with Prime Minister Edi Rama highlighting the resort as a potential major economic boost. The proposal, backed by Affinity Partners and aimed at ultra-wealthy tourists, has already drawn local opposition, environmental protests and warnings from the European Union over possible damage to protected ecological zones. The revelation that the land seller is wanted in Albania for alleged drug-money laundering and is now suspected of fabricating ownership documents has intensified scrutiny of the project and raised questions about due diligence by the high-profile U.S. investors involved.