Man who sold land for Kushner-backed Albania resort facing criminal probe

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An Albanian-American antheral who sold onshore for a imaginable luxury improvement backed by President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is nether probe for alleged cause trafficking and wealth laundering, Albanian tribunal records reviewed by CBS News show.

The arguable plans to physique resorts successful long-protected earthy coastal areas person sparked wide protests successful Albania's superior Tirana.

Artur Shehu, a Miami nonmigratory with dual U.S. and Albanian nationality, is being investigated by Albanian prosecutors who allege determination is "sufficient evidence" of his "involvement successful cause trafficking transgression activity," and "sufficient data" suggesting helium falsified fiscal documents astir different existent property and operation projects, according to tribunal filings dated June 10, which were obtained by CBS News.

Day 15 Anti-Kushner Protest Reaches Albania's Highways

Florida public records nexus Shehu to an code successful Miami Beach.

Albania's autarkic anti-corruption assemblage SPAK said past period that it had issued apprehension warrants for 15 Albanian citizens for alleged planetary cause trafficking and wealth laundering, but it had not identified the individuals involved.

Thousands of Albanians person taken to the streets of the country's superior Tirana for implicit a period successful protests sparked by concerns implicit the luxury tourism improvement — and a instrumentality permitting it — successful a earthy quality area.

Kushner, who is joined to Mr. Trump's eldest girl Ivanka, is among a radical of investors seeking to physique a luxury tourism analyzable on the country's Adriatic coastline.

Kushner announced his engagement successful the task successful 2024, and Ivanka referenced her and her husband's plans for the edifice portion speaking to the "Founders" podcast past month.

The choler implicit the plans for Zvërnec, a historically protected country affluent successful wildlife, grew rapidly into a wider question against alleged corruption successful the Albanian authorities and the country's ruling elite. Activists person dubbed the protests "the flamingo revolution," successful notation to immoderate of the wildlife they accidental the tourism improvement would threaten.

Shehu sold immoderate of the onshore earmarked for the task to the Albania Land Development LLC, a institution linked to investors including Kushner.

In summation to the investigations revealed by the tribunal documents, he's besides facing scrutiny from Albanian authorities related to that transaction.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Project (OCCRP), a planetary non-profit investigative quality outlet, reported past month that it had obtained an Albanian tribunal bid noting a frozen slope relationship containing much than $127 cardinal originating from the merchantability of onshore "between parties Artur Shehu and Albanian Land Development."

CBS News sought to get that tribunal bid this week, and a spokesperson for Albania's Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime acknowledged its existence, but said the tribunal could not merchandise the papers arsenic the lawsuit "is presently astatine the signifier of preliminary investigations."

The OCCRP besides reported past period that SPAK prosecutors were investigating whether the onshore earmarked for the improvement had been acquired by Shehu fraudulently.

A spokesperson for SPAK confirmed to CBS News successful June that it had opened an probe into the planned development, but the bureau said the probe "does not interest immoderate institution associated with Mr. Kushner."

2013 tribunal records reviewed by CBS News amusement Shehu's erstwhile ownership of the onshore had been disputed by residents successful Zvërnec, who claimed they had rights to the area. Those residents are inactive actively legally challenging Shehu's close to merchantability the land, according to the Albanian premier minister's office.

Shehu told an Albanian TV amusement past period that his assertion connected the onshore was "undisputed" and that helium sold it to investors done a middleman, whom helium did not name. He said helium did not cognize who had purchased the land, Reuters reported past month.

Public filings amusement Albania Land Development, the institution Shehu sold the onshore to, is owned by a analyzable operation of ammunition companies, including Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, a steadfast incorporated successful Qatar.

Last month, CBS News contacted Kushner's concern steadfast Affinity Partners for remark connected the development. The institution referred CBS News to Sazan Real Estate Development, and a spokesperson for that steadfast said it represented each investors successful the task "who are progressive successful their idiosyncratic capacity."

CBS News has sought remark from some Shehu and Sazan Real Estate Development LLC regarding the investigations and they had not responded by clip of publication.

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