SPAK Freezes the $195 Million From the Zvërnec Land Sales, Releases the Qatari Developer’s Account

The Newsroom

Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime has placed under preventive seizure the 195 million dollars paid out for land at Zvërnec, holding the sums in the accounts of Artur Shehu and the other owners who agreed to sell, after first releasing the account of the company controlled by the Qatari brothers behind the planned coastal resort. Sources cited by Report Tv say prosecutors placed under seizure the 195 million dollars transferred from Qatar into the accounts of Artur Shehu and other owners who agreed to sell their land to the company of the Al-Khayyat brothers, a transfer of 195 million dollars carried out roughly six days earlier into the account of the company “Albania Land Development,” money destined for the purchase of land in Zvërnec.

The move follows a sequence in which the prosecution acted, then reversed itself, on the company side of the same money. Five days before, SPAK ordered the freezing of the bank account of the Qatari investors’ company, but the measure was removed again, unblocking the transferred funds. According to Vizion Plus, the two special prosecutors Altin Dumani and Elida Kaçkini decided to release the accounts of Redi Struga, administrator of the company, to the value of 195 million, money that had entered Albania to be invested in the area, and SPAK has stated that the matter remains at a procedural stage. Local media reported that prosecutors decided to unblock the accounts to avoid potential legal disputes that could arise before international arbitration bodies, and SPAK has not publicly commented on the reported decision.

What the prosecution is examining
SPAK is examining allegations of an organised scheme involving the alteration, transfer and appropriation of land ownership rights in the Zvërnec area, and authorities suspect the case may involve a structured network designed to facilitate questionable land transfers and financial gains linked to development projects in the coastal zone. As part of the investigation, agents from the National Bureau of Investigation carried out searches involving Redi Struga, an administrator of “Albania Land Development,” with preliminary findings suggesting he may have acted as an intermediary between the company and a group of Qatari investors, while another central figure, Artur Shehu, is currently residing in the United States. The land on which the project is to be built had first been owned by Redi Struga, who, after selling it, was named one of the company’s three administrators, but with limited signing rights.

Rama welcomes the freeze on sellers, repeats the “hybrid war” charge
Speaking from the Prime Minister’s Office after the cabinet meeting, Edi Rama treated the seizure of the sellers’ money as a positive development. He said that the clarification of the origin of the funds, channelled through the bank, had cleared the investors, who are now also owners, and that SPAK’s decision to keep the sums frozen rather than let them pass to the sellers, who are under investigation, was welcome. By his account, if a seller proves a legitimate title he will receive the money, and if he does not, the sum will remain with the Republic of Albania and be used for whoever proves a grounded claim over the property. The position broadly tracks his public posture during the visit of European Council President António Costa, when, as reported, Rama criticised the blocking of financial transactions as “arbitrary and negative” for legitimate investors while saying that freezing funds intended for a property owner under investigation was a legitimate matter for the investigative authorities.

Rama again framed the protest as a hybrid operation. He said environmental sensitivities were being used as a lever against development, that luxury resorts produce the highest tourism revenues, and, in a line that has circulated widely, suggested that doubters could “ask ChatGPT.” He ruled out resignation, said he would speak only with those who had voted for him, and described his interlocutors as people staging a new episode of an old film. To those who marched beneath his window chanting in the manner of Golden Dawn, he attributed slogans of the “Greece is for the Greeks” kind and said they were a matter for God alone. He also said he embodies the will of 800,000 Albanians.

A third day of protest in the capital
Demonstrators gathered in Tirana on Tuesday for the third consecutive day of protests in defence of Zvërnec, with hundreds marching from Skanderbeg Square toward the Ministry of the Interior and then the Prime Minister’s Office, carrying banners reading “Albania Is Not for Sale,” and several protesters breached a police cordon at the entrance of the Prime Minister’s Office, escalating tensions with security forces. On Tuesday, thousands had taken to the streets for a second straight day, voicing concerns about transparency, environmental protections and how major foreign investments are approved. Protesters have demanded the government’s resignation and the repeal of the strategic investor law and the so-called Mountains package.

The 30 May violence and the arrest
The trigger was a confrontation at the coast. Video footage circulated publicly showing a private security guard allegedly punching and dragging a protester during demonstrations held on Saturday in the Portonovë area near Zvërnec, after which the Director General of the State Police ordered a special investigative team, and authorities identified and arrested in flagrante Gerald Biba, a 32 year old resident of Durrës employed by the private security company Major Security. Biba is accused of punching a protester and taking part in restraining and dragging him away with other security staff, the protester reportedly suffered minor injuries, and two other security personnel are also under investigation. The First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction in Vlora ordered the security measure of prison arrest for Biba over the incident of 30 May, in a Monday hearing presided over by Judge Etien Isak with prosecutor Julinda Gjika representing the case.

The official account of the day shifted within hours. By the end of the same day the police had reversed their own first account of events, the General Director of the State Police had suspended the regional police chief, one of the security guards had been arrested on suspicion of unlawful deprivation of liberty and intentional minor injury with two further employees under investigation, and the developer had publicly apologised and cut its contract with the security firm. Police identified the protester as ES and said he had violently entered the cordoned off area and suffered injuries while being transported by private security guards, adding that legal proceedings had been initiated against both the two private security workers and 15 protesters, while the company in charge of the project, “Zvërnec South Adriatic Development,” condemned the acts against private property and accused critics of spreading inaccurate information. The guards involved have been reported to have lacked a valid licence.

The project and its structure
Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, sealed a deal reported at 1.4 billion dollars to build an Aman branded eco resort on Sazan island, and in late 2024 the Albanian government granted the project official “strategic investor” status, a designation that unlocks fast tracked permits and long term leases. The development extends onto the mainland, into the Vjosa-Narta coast near Zvërnec, with plans reported to include roughly 10,000 hotel rooms and villas. Albania’s Strategic Investment Committee, headed by Prime Minister Rama, accepted the proposal by Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC on 30 December for the project on Sazan, citing a planned investment of 1.4 billion euros and an estimated 1,000 jobs, with the state’s participation realised through a joint legal entity including the state run Albanian Investment Corporation.

The wider footprint and the Qatari money behind it are documented in company filings. Beneficial ownership records show that “Albania Land Development,” the Albania registered company engaged in the project, is owned by two Qatari citizens, Mohamad Moataz Mhd Ruslan Alkhayat and Ramez Mhd Ruslan Alkhayyat, each holding 50 percent of indirect ownership, with control exercised through several companies registered in Qatar, including Power International Holding and Sazan Land Holding, and the overall investment estimated at around 4 billion dollars. “Zvërnec South Adriatic Development” is owned by the offshore company “Dutch Trust Management BV,” registered in the Netherlands, and is linked through a network of shell companies to the Sazan Island project and to the Al-Khayyat brothers, while the company received on 29 April a permit to carry out fencing and preparatory works that, according to AZHT, was still awaiting formal approval and signatures from the responsible institutions.

The environmental objection turns on the setting. The area under review includes Sazan Island and coastal wetlands near Zvërnec, an ecologically sensitive zone that serves as habitat for species such as flamingos, Mediterranean monk seals and sea turtles. Anger was fuelled by comments by Ivanka Trump describing Sazan as a “private island” they “discovered,” and protests grew toward the end of May after developers installed fences topped with barbed wire at the site in Zvërnec, blocking public access to the beach.

The Greek dimension and the chants
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece expressed deep concern over the incidents of 30 May in Zvërnec during a protest by residents over their property rights, including a Greek citizen who was injured, and the Embassy of Greece in Tirana took steps to provide consular and medical assistance. Greece has called for the protection of property rights belonging to members of Albania’s Greek minority, describing the matter as relevant to Albania’s European integration process, while Rama has defended the investment and rejected the framing. In front of the Prime Minister’s Office, as reported in earlier coverage, part of the crowd chanted “Poshtë Izraeli,” down with Israel.

Costa in Tirana, the EU benchmark and Berisha
The protest unfolded against an accession milestone. European Council President António Costa visited Tirana on 2 June, meeting President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Rama and holding a joint press conference, as well as meeting students at the College of Europe campus. Costa said the previous week’s Accession Conference confirmed Albania’s progress in meeting the interim benchmarks on the first “fundamentals” cluster, called this a clear recognition by member states, and described enlargement as a geostrategic necessity ahead of the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat on Friday. Asked about Zvërnec, Costa avoided commenting directly on the project but stressed that EU accession requires not only adopting European legislation but fully implementing environmental and rule of law standards.

On the domestic right, opposition leader Sali Berisha said he fully supports the foreign investment and would have acted the same way, according to Shqiptarja.com, which also reported that Albania was elected to the presidency of Forest Europe, a result Rama used to mock his critics by asking how the “Albania of traitors” could be backed by all of Europe.

As of midday, the position stands as follows. The company’s account has been released and the 195 million dollars are usable on the investor side; the same sum is frozen in the accounts of the sellers; the property title investigation continues; one private guard is in pre trial detention with two more under investigation and fifteen protesters facing proceedings; and the protests in Tirana have entered a third day with no sign of the resignation the demonstrators are demanding.