Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s plans to build an exclusive, 10,000 room resort on a 1,400-hectare private island in Albania has hit two major roadblocks after thousands of locals launched protests against the project. People took to the streets of Albania’s capital Tirana on Tuesday in the second day of growing protests against the project.
The Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has opened an official inquiry into the decisions made in 2024, when the protected status of the land earmarked for the resort was altered, thereby opening it up for Trump development. Protests by locals and non-profit organizations started after large barbed wire fences were erected by developers at the site in Zvernec, near Vlora. Several hundred gathered and clashed with private guards on Saturday and some were injured. Video of that went viral and the protest grew and spilled into the streets.
Sazan Real Estate Development LLC is the firm leading a $1.4 billion luxury resort project on Sazan Island and the nearby coast in Albania. Partnered with Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, the development has recently faced widespread protests and an official investigation into corruption.
The project has an estimated total cost of $4 billion and is expected to be built on around 2.5 square kilometres within a protected coastal ecosystem.
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The development has received support from Prime Minister Edi Rama, prompting protesters to demand his resignation. |
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