I want to make Albania a destination to be envied in the region
On the Adriatic coast of Albania, where flamingos nest and sea turtles return each season, a collision between foreign capital and environmental stewardship has drawn the attention of prosecutors. SPAK, Albania's special anti-corruption body, is examining how a protected wetland near Zvërnec quietly lost its legal protections — a change that conveniently opened the door for Jared Kushner's firm to build a 10,000-room luxury resort. The investigation asks an ancient question in modern form: who benefits when the rules change, and who decided to change them?
- A protected Mediterranean wetland — home to flamingos, monk seals, and sea turtle nesting grounds — had its environmental status altered, and prosecutors now want to know how and why.
- Barbed-wire fences erected around the proposed resort site sparked street protests, and video footage captured private security guards dragging at least one demonstrator along a cliff edge.
- The violence cascaded into institutional fallout: two security firms lost their licenses, roughly 15 protesters face charges, and the local police chief was removed from his post.
- Albania's Prime Minister continues to champion the project as a national vision, even as SPAK's probe places the entire legal foundation of the development under scrutiny.
- The investigation's outcome may determine not just this resort's fate, but whether foreign investors in Albania can expect protected lands to remain protected.
Albania's anti-corruption prosecutors have opened an investigation into how the Vjosa-Narta coastal wetland — a stretch of Mediterranean shoreline sheltering flamingos, monk seals, and sea turtle nesting grounds — lost its protected status. The probe by SPAK centers on whether environmental designations were improperly altered to clear the way for a luxury resort planned by Jared Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners. The project envisions roughly 10,000 hotel rooms and villas on the site.
Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump, publicly discussed the development in 2024, and he and Ivanka Trump visited the area earlier this year. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed that negotiations with Kushner's team are ongoing, describing the project as central to his ambition of making Albania an enviable regional destination.
The project has met fierce resistance on the ground. In May, workers erected tall barbed-wire fences blocking public beach access, and the barrier quickly became a flashpoint. Demonstrators gathered outside government offices demanding the project be halted and Rama resign. The situation turned violent when video footage showed private security guards assaulting at least one protester near a cliff edge. In the aftermath, two security firms had their licenses revoked, around 15 protesters were charged, and the local police chief was removed from his duties.
At the heart of SPAK's investigation is a foundational question: the wetland's protected status is what made the project legally possible, and whether that status was changed through legitimate process or improper influence is precisely what prosecutors are now working to determine. The outcome could set a lasting precedent for how Albania — and foreign investors — navigate the boundary between development ambition and environmental protection.
Albania's anti-corruption prosecutors have opened an investigation into how a coastal wetland lost its protected status—the same wetland where Jared Kushner's investment firm plans to build a sprawling luxury resort. The probe, launched by SPAK, the country's special anti-corruption prosecution office, centers on the Vjosa-Narta landscape near Zvërnec, a stretch of Mediterranean coast that shelters flamingos, monk seals, and sea turtle nesting grounds. The investigation signals that someone in government may have improperly altered environmental designations to clear the way for development.
Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, discussed the project publicly in 2024 through his firm, Affinity Partners. The scale is substantial: roughly 10,000 hotel rooms and villas spread across the site. Earlier this year, he and his wife, Ivanka Trump, visited the area in person. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed that negotiations between his government and Kushner's team are ongoing. In a recent statement to reporters, Rama framed the development as part of his broader vision for Albania. "I want to make Albania a country that is a destination to be envied in the region, and this project is part of this effort," he said.
But the project has ignited fierce resistance. In May, workers erected tall fences topped with barbed wire around the proposed site, blocking locals and tourists from accessing the beach. The barrier became a flashpoint. Protesters gathered in the streets, and on a Sunday in late May, demonstrators assembled outside government offices demanding both that the project be scrapped and that Rama step down. The mood turned volatile. Video footage from the day shows private security guards appearing to assault and drag at least one protester along a cliff edge. Other guards allegedly threatened demonstrators who were trying to remove the fences and stop construction from advancing.
The security response triggered its own consequences. Two private security companies had their licenses revoked following the assault incident. Around 15 protesters have been charged with offenses related to their participation in the demonstrations. The local police chief was stripped of his duties, suggesting that officials at multiple levels faced accountability for how events unfolded.
The investigation by SPAK now sits at the center of a collision between foreign investment ambitions and environmental protection. The wetland is not incidental to the story—it is foundational. The fact that its protected status changed is what made the project possible in the first place. Whether those changes were made through proper channels or through improper pressure and influence is precisely what prosecutors are now examining. The outcome could reshape how Albania balances coastal development against environmental preservation, and it may set a precedent for how closely foreign investors face scrutiny when protected lands are involved.
Citações Notáveis
I want to make Albania a country that is a destination to be envied in the region, and this project is part of this effort.— Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that this particular wetland lost its protected status? Couldn't the government just rezone land for development?
In theory, yes. But protected landscapes exist because they're supposed to be off-limits—they're designated that way specifically because they're ecologically fragile or irreplaceable. When a government suddenly removes that protection right before a major foreign investor arrives, it raises the question of whether someone was pressured or paid to make that happen.
And that's what SPAK is investigating—whether the protection was removed improperly?
Exactly. They're looking at the process, the timing, who made the decision, and whether there was corruption involved. The investigation itself is a signal that something about how this happened doesn't look clean.
The protests turned violent. Why did that happen?
The barbed wire fences went up suddenly, cutting off public beach access. For locals, it felt like their coast was being seized. When people tried to remove the barriers, private security responded with force. That escalation—the assault on the cliff—became the moment when the abstract debate about development turned into something visceral and physical.
What happens if SPAK finds corruption?
That could unwind the entire deal. It could also force Albania to restore the wetland's protected status, which would make the resort impossible to build. But it also sets a precedent: foreign investors can't just buy their way around environmental law.
And if they don't find corruption?
Then the project moves forward, the investigation closes, and Albania gets its resort. But the protesters and the environmental groups won't disappear. This becomes a long-term political wound.