An 81-year-old Albanian man, Kostaq Konomi, says he was devastated after finding his coastal property in Zvernec, southern Albania, fenced off and linked to a planned luxury resort involving investors connected to Jared Kushner.
Konomi told Reuters he felt he had lost the land he spent his life building around, as a long-running ownership dispute intensified over the development.
When Konomi approached the seaside land in May, he said he was stopped by barbed wire and private security guards who refused to allow him access to the property. The land, which he says once belonged to his family, had become part of a planned resort project involving international investors.
For context, Albania has struggled with unresolved property disputes dating back to the communist era, when land was taken by the state and later returned after the fall of the regime. In Zvernec, several residents claim that their land was wrongfully sold by a rival claimant, while ownership of the plots remains contested in legal proceedings.
Kushner-Linked Resort Dispute Leaves Albanian Villagers Fighting For Land
Konomi told Reuters that losing access to the land felt like history repeating itself. He said the property had already been taken from families during communist rule and that he could not accept seeing a similar situation happen again.
A heartbroken elderly Albanian man says Jared Kushner has taken everything he spent a lifetime building, including his land, his home, and the future he hoped to leave behind for his children.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) June 14, 2026
He says he returned home one day only to find his property sealed off behind barbed… pic.twitter.com/4uyhAbNzd7
'I was ready to get a rifle and start shooting,' Konomi said. 'I was a small boy when I put my feet in that water. Now I am an old man and they say I cannot.'
The elderly resident said the land represented more than financial value. It was connected to memories of childhood, family history and the future he hoped to leave behind.
Several other residents from Zvernec have also challenged the sale of the land, showing Reuters property documents and tax records that they say support their ownership claims. They said they were not consulted before the property was transferred and that they received no compensation.
The dispute has become tied to a major tourism development planned along Albania's southern coast. In 2024, Kushner announced plans for a luxury project featuring hotels, homes, pools, and yacht facilities through investors involved in the development.
Reuters reported that it found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner and that he was not directly involved in the villagers' dispute over ownership.
The Controversial Development Plans
The company developing the project, Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, said its aim was to celebrate Albania's natural beauty, create jobs, and build something future generations could be proud of. A spokesperson said the project's partners, including Kushner, were investing personally rather than through his investment firm, although Reuters could not independently confirm that.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the development's legality, saying that the existence of a court dispute does not automatically mean the property cannot be used.
'Just because there is a court trial does not automatically mean that the property is frozen,' Rama told Reuters.
Residents and environmental groups have raised concerns about the project, which is planned near the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area, a coastal environment home to wildlife including migratory flamingos, seals, and sea turtles. Protests took place in Tirana, with demonstrators calling for the development to be halted.
The land dispute also reflects a deeper problem in Albania, where property records and ownership claims have often been complicated by decades of political upheaval. Lawyers and officials cited by Reuters said unclear records and competing claims have made land disputes common.
For Konomi, the issue remains personal. He described the moment he found the fence blocking access to the coastline as a loss of freedom and security.
'It was the end of the world. The end of the world,' he said. 'I felt imprisoned. They took my freedom. They took my livelihood. They took my land.'
The residents' lawyer, Kostandin Beko, said they planned to seek a court order to stop the project while the ownership dispute continues. The legal battle remains unresolved, and it is unclear when construction work on the development will move forward.
