Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s Luxury Albania Resort Plans Under Fire

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s $1 billion plan to build luxury resorts in Albania is facing scrutiny following allegations of corruption by both rival property developers and local residents. A report by The New York Times highlighted these concerns, with one of the proposed resort sites located near the small village of Zvernec. A local family, the Konomi family, claims to have been farming on this land for generations and has provided evidence to the Albanian court system asserting their ownership.

Since 1991, the Albanian government has been engaged in an effort to return land confiscated by the country’s communist regime during the Cold War to the original families that owned it. Kushner’s firm expressed confidence that they were the rightful titleholders but indicated that they would “withdraw” from the purchase if it was proven otherwise.

The other proposed property is situated on Sazan Island, a mostly uninhabited Mediterranean island that previously served as a heavily fortified military base for both the Albanian and Soviet governments. This has also generated controversy. Rival developer Evi Kokalari-Angelakis, a former Trump donor and ally of George Santos, claimed that she was bypassed by the Albanian government in favor of the Trump family, potentially in a bid to gain favor should Donald Trump return to office.

A spokesperson for Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, a member of the Socialist Party, has denied these allegations. Despite the claims, the scrutiny surrounding the project continues to grow, casting a shadow over the ambitious $1 billion luxury resort plan.

Source: The New York Times, The Daily Beast