Key facts
- Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners is planning a luxury resort in southern Albania.
- Local villagers claim the land designated for the resort was wrongfully sold and they were not compensated.
- Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating changes to the land's protected status and ownership.
- The project includes sensitive coastal wetland areas and an uninhabited island.
- Protests have erupted, with accusations of corruption and environmental neglect.
- Security guards used force against protesters, leading to arrests and revoked licenses.
Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors have launched an investigation into a luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner's firm, Affinity Partners, following protests from local villagers and environmental groups. Residents, including 81-year-old Kostaq Konomi, claim their ancestral lands within the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape and on the island of Sazan were improperly sold without compensation. The project, which aims to include 10,000 hotel rooms, has faced significant public backlash, with accusations of corruption and environmental neglect. Protests intensified after developers erected fences and private security guards reportedly used force against demonstrators, leading to arrests and the revocation of security company licenses. Prime Minister Edi Rama has denied that the development encroaches on protected wildlife areas, stating that final proposals and environmental studies are still pending.