FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiAlbanian prosecutors allege that Artur Shehu forged title deeds for land sold at a resort backed by Kushner. Prosecutors have frozen the sale funds in a notary account, blocking Shehu from receiving them, and accuse Shehu of money laundering and drug smuggling.
The Miami-based Albanian businessman, wanted by SPAK, is suspected of forging property documents where Jared Kushner plans to build the billion-dollar resort.
A Miami-based Albanian businessman wanted by Albanian authorities on suspicion of laundering drug money is also suspected of forging land ownership documents where US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, plans to build a multi-billion dollar resort, SPAK investigative files reviewed by Reuters show.
Businessman Artur Shehu denies all charges. His lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, confirmed that the Special Prosecution Office has issued an arrest warrant for Shehu on suspicion of money laundering for drug trafficking groups.
According to investigative files, Shehu and his associates are accused of trafficking cocaine from South America to European ports and then laundering the profits by creating an empire in the real estate sector, also using forged property documents.
"None of what has been claimed about the character of Mr. Artur Shehu is true. He is neither a drug trafficker nor a forger of property documents," stated lawyer Cakrani.
He added that his client is aware of the charges filed by the Special Prosecution Office, but insists that the reality is completely different from what is presented by the prosecution.
A spokesman for the US Department of Justice declined to comment on whether Albanian authorities have requested assistance in locating or arresting Shehu in Miami.
Land sale for Kushner resort
In April, Artur Shehu sold a portion of the Albanian coastline to Albania Land Development, which is owned by the developers of the Jared Kushner-backed project, Sazan Real Estate Development, along with other investors.
SPAK files state that "there are reasonable suspicions, supported by evidence, that the assets in question were obtained through the use of forged documents."
Dosjet nuk përmbajnë asnjë pretendim për shkelje ligjore nga Jared Kushner, Sazan Real Estate Development, Albania Land Development apo investitorë të tjerë të projektit. Reuters nuk gjeti asnjë provë që investitorët të kenë qenë në dijeni të dyshimeve ndaj Shehut në momentin kur blenë tokën.
Një zëdhënës i Sazan Real Estate Development nuk iu përgjigj drejtpërdrejt pyetjeve mbi akuzat ndaj Shehut, por deklaroi se kompania beson se blerjet e tokës janë kryer në mënyrë të ligjshme.
Albania Land Development nuk iu përgjigj kërkesave për koment, ndërsa një zëdhënës i Jared Kushner refuzoi të komentojë.
Edhe pse Sazan ka konfirmuar se Kushner është investitor në projekt, roli i tij i saktë dhe vlera e investimit nuk janë bërë publike.
Projekti përballet me kundërshtime
Dyshimet mbi falsifikimin e dokumenteve përbëjnë një tjetër pengesë për projektin luksoz, i cili prej kohësh është përballur me protesta për shkak të ndikimit të mundshëm mbi mjedisin.
Banorët e fshatit Zvërnec kanë kundërshtuar prej më shumë se një dekade pretendimet e Artur Shehut për pronësinë e tokës në procese gjyqësore që vazhdojnë ende.
Muajin e kaluar, një grup banorësh i paraqiti Reuters dokumente pronësie dhe regjistra tatimorë, për të cilët pretendojnë se provojnë se ata janë pronarët e ligjshëm të tokës.
Avokati i tyre, Kostandin Beko, tha se procesi gjyqësor është ende i hapur dhe se ata synojnë të kërkojnë pezullimin e projektit përmes një vendimi gjykate.
Një zonë e mbrojtur dhe "Revolucioni i Flamingove"
Shqipëria, dikur një nga vendet më të izoluara dhe më të varfra të Evropës, sot është vend kandidat për anëtarësim në Bashkimin Evropian dhe po përjeton një bum ndërtimesh përgjatë vijës së saj bregdetare në Adriatik.
Resorti i planifikuar nga Kushner do të ndërtohej në një zonë me plazhe të virgjëra, pyje dhe ligatina ku jetojnë breshka deti dhe flamingo. Flamingot janë kthyer në simbol të protestuesve që kundërshtojnë projektin, duke e quajtur lëvizjen e tyre "Revolucioni i Flamingove".
Ivanka Trump ka deklaruar më herët se ideja për resortin lindi pasi ajo dhe Jared Kushner panë këtë pjesë të bregdetit nga një jaht disa vite më parë.
Në vitin 2024, Kushner publikoi planet e projektit në rrjetet sociale, duke shfaqur ilustrime me hotel, vila luksoze, pishina dhe mole për jahte. Ai nuk ka bërë publike shumën që ka investuar.
Mbështetja e qeverisë shqiptare
Qeveria shqiptare e ka mbështetur vazhdimisht projektin dhe ka deklaruar se protestat organizohen nga kundërshtarët politikë.
Kryeministri Edi Rama deklaroi muajin e kaluar për Reuters se projekti është "i bukur" dhe do të realizohet pavarësisht kundërshtimeve.
I pyetur mbi akuzat ndaj Artur Shehut, një zëdhënës i qeverisë tha se ekzekutivi nuk ndërhyn në transaksionet private, por se projekti po ecën në përputhje me ligjet shqiptare dhe ato të Bashkimit Evropian.
The European Commission had previously requested that Albania, as an EU candidate country, respect European standards for environmental protection regarding this project.
SPAK investigation
The files were prepared by the Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), the institution created in 2019 to investigate corruption and organized crime.
The documents consist of about 200 pages and have not been made public.
A SPAK spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the institution is investigating the matter, but did not provide further comment.
The files are dated June 12, 2026. On the same day, SPAK publicly announced the issuance of arrest warrants for 20 people suspected of drug trafficking and money laundering.
In the public announcement, as is the practice in Albania, the suspects are identified only by their initials. One of them appears as "A.Sh.", initials that match Artur Shehu's name in the investigative files.
Lawyer Kujtim Cakrani confirmed that his client is the subject of an arrest warrant, but stated that Shehu is not concerned, as according to him there is a belief that Albanian prosecutors are influenced by politics and business interests.
SPAK has not announced whether any of the 20 suspects have been arrested or formally charged.
110 million euros blocked
According to SPAK files, Artur Shehu sold the land where the resort is planned for around 110 million euros.
The prosecution says this money was blocked in a notary's account, preventing the funds from being transferred to Shehu.
According to SPAK, Shehu and his associates "purchased properties with illegally obtained money and falsified ownership documents by creating false titles or artificially increasing the surface area of the properties."
Further, according to investigators, the properties were transferred or exchanged in order to make it more difficult for authorities to trace them.
On the other hand, Sazan Real Estate Development stated that it continues to believe that all land purchases were carried out legally and in accordance with relevant procedures, adding that the company will cooperate with any legal process when necessary.
When Reuters sought additional clarification on why the company continues to consider the land purchase legal, despite SPAK's claims, it received no further response.
Meanwhile, lawyer Kujtim Cakrani stated that the Shehu family has owned that land since the time of the Ottoman Empire, more than a century ago, and that the sale was carried out in a completely legal manner.
He described Artur Shehu as an honest citizen who sought political asylum in the United States in 1998 after, he said, he witnessed the murder of his brother and uncle by criminal groups. Reuters notes that it has not been able to independently verify this claim./ Reuters
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