A luxury coastal development project in Albania which is linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has come under scanner after facing growing resistance from protesters. The country’s anti-corruption prosecutors are reportedly investigating the proposed resort.
Thousands took to streets in the capital Tirana for the third consecutive day on Wednesday against the proposed project as police fired water cannons and clashed with protesters. The Kushner-linked project is also facing outcry and disapproval from environment organisations over the development issue, AP reported.
Albania’s government has supported the project and said the development on the Adriatic coast would be transformational for the country. Albania is aiming to foray in the high-end tourism market and hopes to become part of the European Union.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump saw this untouched wilderness in Albania and decided to build an enormous luxury resort there.
Albanians are fighting to shut them down.
— AJ+ (@ajplus)
Prime Minister Edi Rama had proposed to meet the protesters on Tuesday but opponents rejected the offer to discuss solutions.
The luxury project is linked to Kushner and US President Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump. During an interview with podcaster David Senra earlier this week, Ivanka said that the couple discovered the site by accident.
“We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it,” Ivanka said, AP reported.
Notably, a special investor status has reportedly been granted to an investment firm linked to Kushner by the Albanian authorities.
Protests intensified in Tirana, Albania’s capital, against a luxury tourism project involving Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President , and her husband Jared Kushner
Demonstrators accused the government of sacrificing protected land and chanted, ‘Albania is not for…
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency)
The luxury project has been divided into two components: In the Narta Lagoon area which is a wildlife reserve, a coastal development has been proposed, and a resort is planned to be constructed on the nearby uninhabited Sazan island, which is a communist-era military base.
Heading private equity firm Affinity Partners, Jared Kushner has a separate estate portfolio which is worth billions of dollars, Politico reported. Kushner is also special envoy for peace in Trump’s administration who is directly involved in negotiations related to conflict in Iran, Gaza and Ukraine.
Albania’s state anti-corruption agency has acknowledged that it has launched a probe into the proposed project but didn’t provide further details.
PM Rama has committed to the project saying, “Albania should not be a country that fears an extraordinary project like this one, where exceptional partners have come together to invest 4 billion euros.”
