A Miami-based businessman, Artur Shehu, is suspected of faking the deeds to land where a multi-billion-dollar resort, backed by Jared Kushner, is planned to be built in Albania. The country’s organised crime-fighting agency has accused Shehu and his associates of trafficking South American cocaine into European ports and laundering the funds by using them to establish a real estate empire, including with falsified land-ownership documents.
Resort Project Sparks Protests
The resort project has sparked mass protests over allegations that it threatens wildlife in the area. Residents of the village of Zvernec near the project have been contesting Shehu’s claim on the land in court cases that date back more than a decade. The Albanian government has strongly backed the plans, saying the protests are staged by its political opponents.
The case files against Shehu were prepared by Albania’s Special Structure Against Corruption and Organised Crime. The files contain 200 pages and have not been made public. A spokesperson for the agency confirmed that it was investigating the subject matter but declined to comment further.
A spokesperson for Sazan Real Estate Development, the company behind the resort project, said it believed the land acquisitions were conducted lawfully and in accordance with applicable procedures. However, the company did not address the allegations against Shehu when asked about them.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
