Albanian authorities question land ownership documents in Kushner-backed resort project

Albanian authorities suspect that land ownership documents for a luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner, former US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, may have been forged, Reuters reported last week, citing the country’s anti-organised crime agency.

Businessman Artan Shehu, a Florida resident, is accused of falsifying the documents, according to Poland’s public broadcaster TVP. Albanian prosecutors have also issued a search for Shehu over alleged money laundering linked to drug trafficking proceeds. Shehu denies all charges, with his lawyer telling Reuters that his client is “neither a drug trafficker nor a forger of real estate documents” and that the truth “differs completely from what the prosecution claims.”

The resort project in southern Albania has faced protests over concerns it could harm protected coastal areas. In April, Shehu sold the land to Sazan Real Estate Development, a company tied to developers supported by Kushner, who maintain the land documents are legitimate.

Albanian authorities have frozen around €110 million used in the land purchase and issued arrest warrants for 20 individuals linked to the case on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. Local residents near the planned construction site claim the land belongs to them and are challenging the matter in court to block the resort’s development.