Kushner-Trump Albania Resort Sparks Outcry

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's plans to develop multi-billion dollar luxury resorts in Albania are sparking outrage, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The project, which seeks to transform over four miles of coastline and Sazan Island into a luxury playground for the rich, faces allegations from residents that the land was stolen from local families and sold for the development, leading to violence when security guards assaulted villagers protesting barbed-wire fencing.

Demonstrators have protested daily in the capital for over four months, calling for an end to the project and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, whom critics accuse of fostering an oligarchic system.

Locals emphasize that they are not against investment, but demand transparency and democratic governance, seeking an Albania free from autocracy and organized crime.

The development plans for the resort include significant infrastructure such as space for 350 super yachts, 600 townhouses, 1,400 apartments, and an 80,000-square-meter water park.

Villagers allege that officials gave away their property titles without consent, despite Law 7501, which granted ownership to farmers after the 1991 communist collapse, and the land was sold to a Kushner-linked company for over $100 million in 2025.

Albania's history of instability, including the 1997 collapse of financial schemes that caused riots and destruction of property records, has led to overwhelmed courts struggling to resolve overlapping land claims for decades.

In one instance, a suspected gangster, Atu Shahu, gained land rights in the mid-2000s by using a mistranslated Ottoman-era document, an action that led to Albania's high court ruling in 2018 to invalidate the document, though local legal battles continue.

Villagers in the affected areas received no response to letters sent to Jared Kushner in 2024 and 2025 regarding their disputes.

They accuse Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government of prioritizing luxury developments over their own infrastructure needs, highlighting issues like uncollected garbage and a lack of running water for over a month in their villages, contrasting with the focus on international luxury projects.

The development site is located within a protected landscape that environmentalists say is home to over 70 endangered species and thousands of flamingos that nest annually.

Construction activities, including a road built over sand dunes and a bridge over a water channel, have been documented since May, raising concerns about the ecological impact on this sensitive habitat.

Environmental organizations report that the construction works at the Zvernec site have caused irreparable damage, with documented instances of sediment, soil, and pine branches blocking water access.

Construction activity was recorded as early as March 31, including geological surveys and site interventions, despite the official permit being granted on April 29, leading Albanian prosecutors to launch an investigation into four charges, including illegal construction.

Prime Minister Edi Rama maintains that only preliminary works occurred, while Kushner’s group denies any unauthorized building, further escalating the controversy around the project.

Sazan Island, a former military base, is being considered by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump for a $1.4 billion resort, despite its challenging past.

The island contains remnants of 176,000 communist-era bunkers and abandoned infrastructure, and experts highlight major obstacles such as a lack of water supply and the presence of unexploded ordnance.

A 2025 amendment controversially shifted the financial cost of clearing these explosives, including approximately 120 tons of ammunition located in four hotspots at depths of 0 to 10 meters, from the investors to the Albanian government.

A lawyer for a land seller involved in the project argued that the development is a politically motivated effort by Prime Minister Rama, who allegedly offered Kushner land.

Claims were also raised that the names of Kushner and Trump were used to intimidate local claimants; however, the Prime Minister's office dismissed these allegations as speculation, while Kushner’s spokesperson confirmed awareness of the land seller allegations but denied being under investigation.