A luxury resort project planned by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner is facing challenges from local villagers in Albania who claim their land was wrongfully sold. The couple intends to develop a $1.4 billion resort on Sazan Island and a $4.7 billion hotel development along the Zvërnec coastline. Protests have emerged over concerns for the local wildlife, including flamingos and sea turtles, potentially affected by the project.
Reports indicate that some of the land designated for development is involved in a legal dispute over ownership. Residents of Zvërnec allege that their land was sold without their consent, and they plan to seek a court order to halt the project. The land was previously declared theirs by an Albanian court in 2013, but the ruling has been appealed.
Artur Shehu, the individual who sold the land, claims his family's ownership dates back to the Ottoman Empire. He has faced scrutiny for alleged connections to organized crime but has not been charged with any crimes. The Albanian government asserts that the land is privately owned.
Protests against the resort have escalated, with some turning violent, prompting Prime Minister Edi Rama to defend the project and state that it has not yet received a building permit. Conservation groups and opposition leaders have expressed concerns regarding transparency and political influence related to the project. They have called for public access to permits and legislative action to protect the coastline.
Neither Ivanka Trump nor Jared Kushner has been accused of wrongdoing in the land dispute, and they have not publicly addressed the concerns raised by local citizens.