Albania: 20 arrest warrants requested in connection with Kushner's controversial luxury project

The project is associated with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. "Kushner unterstützt die Entwicklung über seine Investmentfirma Affinity Partners", the sources report. According to this, Affinity Partners has been granted a special investor status by the Albanian authorities. The Trump family has also frequently invested in luxury projects worldwide. Kushner's wife Ivanka Trump said in an interview that they had stumbled upon the island while on holiday.

According to the public prosecutor's office, the sales contracts reference initials of companies and individuals who could be connected to the construction project in the protected coastal area. The authority SPAK requested that courts order the detention of 20 individuals. By Saturday, four of the 20 people being sought had been arrested. In addition, courts ordered the preventive seizure of several assets linked to the sales contracts.

Investigations and arrests

Parallel to the investigations, protests against the construction projects in the Vjosa-Narta lagoon and on the nearly uninhabited island of Sazan have been ongoing for two weeks. "Die Proteste gegen die Bauvorhaben in der Lagune Vjosa-Narta und auf der fast unbewohnten Insel Sazan dauern bereits seit zwei Wochen an", the sources report. On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators once again gathered in Tirana.

The demonstrators carried signs with flamingos and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Rama. "Die Demonstranten trugen darum erneut Schilder mit Flamingos und forderten den Rücktritt von Ministerpräsident Rama", it is stated. The demonstrators are calling both for a halt to the project and for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. The Albanian government has for some time been trying to boost its economy through tourism.

Protests and political reaction

Prime Minister Rama rejected the objections from environmental activists as unfounded. "Das Projekt werde die großen Investoren ins Land locken, sagte der Regierungschef." In doing so, he defended the project as an economic opportunity for the country. Critics, however, see the resort as an intrusion into one of the last intact wetlands on the Albanian coast.

A second part of the plan envisages transforming the nearly uninhabited island of Sazan into a luxury holiday destination. "Sie war in Zeiten des Kommunismus ein Militärstützpunkt", the sources recall. The island, a secret military base in the communist era, is thus to be given an entirely new function.

Accusations against Trump's circle

Critics accuse not only Trump's sons but also Kushner and his wife of using Trump's presidency for their own business dealings. "Critics accuse not only Trump's sons but also Kushner and his wife of using Trump's presidency for their own business dealings", the sources state. The affair thus extends beyond Albania and touches on questions of conflicts of interest in the circle of the US President.

The news about the requested arrest warrants was broadcast on 14.06.2026 on the programme Deutschlandfunk. The legal processing of the project has thus entered a new phase. Whether the courts will grant SPAK's requests was initially open. What is certain is that pressure on the Albanian government is growing, as is attention from abroad.

The backstory of the project goes back months. Affinity Partners received the special investor status after the project had already been publicly debated. Resistance quickly formed in Tirana, fuelled by concerns about the environment and the question of who stands to benefit from such an intervention in a protected area. The demonstrations have so far been largely peaceful, but they have led to a political stress test for the Rama government.

Much is at stake for the Albanian government. Die albanische Regierung versucht seit einiger Zeit, ihre Wirtschaft durch den Tourismus anzukurbeln, the sources report. The luxury resort in Zvernec and the conversion of Sazan are the most prominent projects in this strategy to date. If the courts confirm the arrest warrants, the debate over the project is likely to intensify further.