Story perspectives

Albania probes $122M Kushner land deal, protests erupt.

6/18/2026

Center

Kushner Resort Push

Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors launched a money-laundering investigation after a protected-coast parcel’s price surged from €5.5 million to €122 million.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are pursuing a resort project on Sazan Island and Zvërnec Peninsula in Albania, protests ongoing.
Edi Rama said land remains public, rejected “Albania for sale” claims, called protesters “fascist”.
Officials froze Albania Land Development’s accounts while environmental groups warn project breaches EU Natura 2000 rules.

Left

Protesters Block Resorts

Protesters in Tirana marched with pink flamingo cutouts, chanting for imprisonment of Prime Minister Edi Rama and leader Sali Berisha.
Albania’s SPAK opened an investigation into the law granting Prime Minister Edi Rama authority to approve resorts in protected areas.
Groups say the Kushner-linked resort plan breaches EU Natura 2000 rules, threatening Albania’s EU accession.
Demonstrators removed fences, halted bulldozers, and tied the dispute to poor healthcare, education and jobs.

History

Historical Context

In 2005 Deripaska’s Cyprus-based CEAC bought 65 % of Montenegro’s aluminium plant KAP for €48.5 million in a deal negotiated with Prime Minister Milo Dukanovic, marking early Russian foothold on the Adriatic. That precedent is echoed in the 2024 Albanian SPAK investigation of a Kushner-linked resort on Sazan Island, reviving worries about foreign control of Balkan coastlines.

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Kushner Resort Push

Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors launched a money-laundering investigation after a protected-coast parcel’s price surged from €5.5 million to €122 million.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are pursuing a resort project on Sazan Island and Zvërnec Peninsula in Albania, protests ongoing.
Edi Rama said land remains public, rejected “Albania for sale” claims, called protesters “fascist”.
Officials froze Albania Land Development’s accounts while environmental groups warn project breaches EU Natura 2000 rules.

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