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Prosecutors in Albania have levied serious allegations against a Miami-based businessman in connection with a multi-billion-dollar resort project backed by Jared Kushner, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. Artur Shehu, whose business dealings have been linked to international cocaine trafficking and money laundering, is accused of using forged property deeds to claim Albanian coastal land intended for development.
Albania’s Special Investigative Task Force Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has been scrutinizing Shehu’s financial activities, which allegedly span multiple continents and involve the use of false property titles to artificially inflate land holdings. This illicit practice, coupled with a history of suspected cocaine trafficking, has led SPAK to freeze Shehu’s assets in a notary account, effectively preventing the businessman from accessing €110 million in funds associated with the sale of the disputed land.
The contentious resort project, which has drawn significant investment from high-profile backers like Kushner, has been marred by controversy surrounding Shehu’s acquisition of the land. Despite his denials, prosecutors remain suspicious that the assets were purchased using forged documents. The files reviewed by Reuters reveal that Shehu’s lawyer has dismissed the allegations, claiming that his client’s family has held a legitimate interest in the Albanian coastal land since the Ottoman era.
However, neither the resort developers nor Kushner are implicated in the SPAK allegations, which suggest that the Miami-based businessman operated independently. Reuters has been unable to identify any evidence indicating the Kushner-backed investors were aware of potential irregularities surrounding Shehu’s assets. As the investigative process moves forward, attention remains focused on whether the land acquisitions can be validated, and the potential consequences for the parties involved.
This development casts a further shadow over a project that has already been subject to intense scrutiny. As Albania’s anti-corruption agency continues its investigation, it will be crucial to determine whether the allegations against Shehu are substantiated and whether they have a bearing on the legitimacy of the resort project as a whole.