ALBAWABA - A businessman sought by Albanian authorities for alleged money laundering linked to international drug trafficking is being investigated for allegedly using forged land ownership documents tied to a multibillion-dollar luxury resort development backed by Jared Kushner, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
The inquiry targets Artur Shehu, a Miami businessman accused by Albanian prosecutors of laundering money from cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe and investing the earnings in real estate. Prosecutors said fraudulent land documents were used as part of a conspiracy to purchase land that was then sold for the major tourism development.
Shehu’s lawyer dismissed all charges and insisted his client is not involved in drug trafficking, money laundering or document fabrication. The defense says Albanian authorities have issued an arrest warrant but the claims are false and do not reflect the facts of the case.
Reuters said that Shehu sold a plot of Albania's coastline in April to Albania Land Development, a business controlled by Sazan Real Estate Development, which is developing the resort with the support of Jared Kushner and other investors.
Reuters reported court documents as saying there are "reasonable grounds" to believe ownership of the property was obtained through fraudulent documents. But investigators have not accused Jared Kushner, Sazan Real Estate Development, Albania Land Development or any of the project’s investors of any wrongdoing.
There is no indication Kushner or the project’s investors knew of the claims against the seller at the time the deal was consummated, Reuters also reported.
Sazan Real Estate Development declined to comment on the criminal inquiry involving Shehu when reached by Reuters, but its representative said the company thinks all land purchases related with the resort project were carried out correctly. The company also confirmed that Kushner is an investor in the property, but declined to divulge the quantity or structure of his interest.
