Sazan island: strategic investor status (2024) and 2026 draft transfer of administration
Status: Strategic status granted (Dec 2024, as reported); draft transfer reported June 2026, adoption not confirmed; negotiations described as ongoing by Rama (per search summary). Unverified report (Greek City Times, 2026-06-07) of a withdrawal; no official confirmation found.
Summary
Citizens.al (2025-01-16) reports that on 2 December 2024 President Bajram Begaj removed the Sazani area from the Armed Forces deployment plan, and that on 30 December 2024 the Strategic Investment Committee granted 'Strategic Investor' status to a proposal by Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC for a project described as about 1.4 billion euros in three phases, covering 45 of about 562 hectares of the island. The proposal was reported as submitted on 27 December (the year is given as 2023 by Citizens.al). The status reportedly carries 10 years of expedited permit procedures. The government's line, quoted by Citizens.al and Reporter.al, is that the Sazan proposal was an unsolicited offer from Affinity Partners (government statement as reported; not verified).
On 6 June 2026 BIRN/Reporter.al published a draft Council of Ministers decision that would move administration of Sazan from the Ministry of Defence to the Ministry of Economy and Innovation and into the Real Estate Fund for Strategic Investments, covering about 5.2 million m2 (more than 90% of the island's surface). Reporter.al says the draft concerns the Atlantic Incubation Partners project; the draft itself names only the 'Tourist Resort - Sazan Island' project. The Prime Minister's office said there is no privatisation in the draft; the government said it was circulated for consultation and not implemented. Adoption was not confirmed. Rama has said the island remains state property and that no final agreement exists (per search summaries of Albanian-language coverage).
Key facts
- 2024-12-02: President Bajram Begaj decree removing the Sazani area from the Armed Forces plan (Citizens.al).
- 2024-12-30: Strategic Investment Committee grants strategic investor status (Citizens.al; also cited inas ev-2025-01-16 in a different version).
- Planned investment about 1.4 billion euros (Citizens.al; Reporter.al; Rama government figures vary).
- Joint legal entity planned with AIC and ASDC (Citizens.al); final equity split not found.
- 2026-06-06: draft CM decision reported by BIRN/Reporter.al; Property 206/7 (5,255,215 m2 land), 208 (254,178 m2), 207 (9,386 m2) in cadastral zone 3269, Vlora.
- Affinity Partners' PR agency said Affinity is not involved in developing the Zvernec project and that investors take part 'in their personal capacity' (Exit.al, 2026-06-10). The same report says the Affinity statement concerns Zvernec, not Sazan.
The record
Four lists kept apart on purpose: what is established, what is only alleged, what is still open, and what those concerned said.
What is proven (1)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- Strategic Investment Committee decision of 30 Dec 2024 granting strategic investor status to an Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC proposal (reported by Citizens.al; the decision document itself was not retrieved and no decision number was found).
What is alleged (2)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationThat the Sazan transfer draft was prepared for the Atlantic Incubation Partners project (reporter characterisation; the draft text does not name the company).
- AllegationThat the Al-Khayyat group controls the Sazan structure (Citizens.al, Exit.al; disputed by sources naming Redi Struga for Zvernec).
Allegations and who made them (2)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationBIRN/Reporter.al (2026-05-29, 2026-06-06): the Sazan project and the Zvernec developer are connected through the Al-Khayyat group and Atlantic Incubation Partners (as characterised by reporters).
- AllegationCitizens.al (2026-06-08): the Al-Khayyat group appears to be taking control of both the asset-holding company and the developer.
Open questions (4)
- Was the Council of Ministers draft adopted, and under what decision number?
- Is Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC formally the Sazan investor, and what is its ownership (Affinity link in search summaries is unconfirmed by a registry)?
- What did the 2024-12-30 committee decision actually say (decision number, conditions, validity)?
- Is the reported withdrawal (Greek City Times, 2026-06-07) true? No official statement found.
Responses (4)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Government/PM's office (Reporter.al, 2026-06-06): 'There is no privatisation involved in this draft decision'; the document 'circulated for consultation and has not been implemented'; the draft aims to 'consolidate the entire area as a development zone'.
- Rama (search summary, Albanian-language coverage): Sazan 'remains state property' and was 'never intended for sale'; negotiations continue and no final agreement exists.
- Affinity Partners (via PR agency, Exit.al 2026-06-10): not the developer of Zvernec; investors act in a personal capacity.
- Kushner: no direct statement found on Sazan in the sources read (see claims).
Figures
Money trail →Draft transfer of about 5.2 million m2 (more than 90% of Sazan) to the state strategic-investment real estate fund
No amount recorded
otherSource label: Under investigationStated definition: Area, not a sum. Property 206/7: 5,255,215 m2 land and 31,005 m2 buildings; 208: 254,178 m2 and 5,344 m2; 207: 9,386 m2 and 412 m2 (Reporter.al draft figures).
Date: 6 Jun 2026 · Payer: Ministry of Defence (current administrator) · Payee: Real Estate Fund for Strategic Investments under Ministry of Economy (draft)
- Document reveals government preparing transfer of Sazan Island for Jared Kushner project (opens in a new tab)Reporter.al (BIRN) · 6 Jun 2026 · journalism · EN
Timeline
Full timeline →Government
President Begaj decree removes Sazani from Armed Forces deployment plan
Citizens.al (2025-01-16): President Bajram Begaj decreed the removal of the Sazani area from the Armed Forces plan. Ministry of Defence statement (2024) said Sazani was within the Armed Forces Deployment plan (quoted by Citizens.al).
Other
Sazan Operations registered in Tirana (declared address MAK Albania Hotel)
Citizens.al (2026-06-08): Sazan Operations (Sazan Operations Holding per registered in Tirana on 21 April 2026 by the Al-Khayyat group, declared address MAK Albania Hotel. Later addresses reportedly moved to TIA (Tirana airport), linked to the Kastrati group.
Government
BIRN/Reporter.al reports draft CM decision to move Sazan administration to the Ministry of Economy
Reporter.al (2026-06-06): draft Council of Ministers decision (obtained by BIRN) moves Sazan from the Ministry of Defence to the Ministry of Economy and Innovation and into the Real Estate Fund for Strategic Investments; purpose 'development and implementation of the strategic investment project Tourist Resort - Sazan Island'. Government: draft 'circulated for consultation and has not been implemented'; PM's office: 'There is no privatisation involved in this draft decision'.
Other
Affinity Partners (via PR agency) says it is not involved in developing Zvernec
Exit.al (dated 2026-06-10): Affinity Partners said through its PR agency that it has no role in developing the project and that any investor takes part in a personal capacity. Affinity declined to respond directly. Reuters (2026-06-13) reports a Sazan spokesperson saying partners, including Kushner, invested personally; Reuters could not confirm. Kushner did not respond to Reuters.
Connections
Strategic investor status granted to Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC (30 Dec 2024, as reported)
Evidence: Citizens.al (2025-01-16): Strategic Investment Committee granted status to the proposal of Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC on 30 Dec 2024. Existing entries conn-atlantic-sazan-case and conn-kushner-atlantic-sazan in.
PM's office responds to the draft Sazan transfer decision
Evidence: Reporter.al (2026-06-06): PM's office says 'There is no privatisation involved in this draft decision'. Government says the draft was circulated for consultation and not implemented.
- Hypothesis←Protected areas: Law 21/2024 amendments and Constitutional Court challengeSource label: Unverified
HYPOTHESIS: the 2024 protected-areas amendment was the legal enabler for the investor approvals
Evidence: SUPPORTS: Law 21/2024 was adopted 22 Feb 2024 (search summary); Sazan was removed from the Armed Forces plan on 2 Dec 2024 and granted strategic status on 30 Dec 2024 (Citizens.al); critics say the law allows five-star resorts in protected areas and boundary redrawing (advocacy sources). WOULD DISPROVE: the Sazan island is reported as outside the Vjosa-Narta/Pishe Poro protected landscape (Rama and Berisha both describe Sazan as state land; no source places Sazan inside the protected area read); the strategic-investment law route (not Law 21/2024) is the stated basis of the status decision; Law 21/2024 text shows no provision applicable to Sazan. Confidence UNVERIFIED.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 8 sources.
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 5 sources
- Publisher
- Citizens.al
- Date
- 16 Jan 2025
- Publisher
- Reporter.al (BIRN)
- Date
- 6 Jun 2026
- Publisher
- Exit.al
- Date
- 10 Jun 2026
- Publisher
- Reuters (republished)
- Date
- 13 Jun 2026
- Publisher
- Telegrafi
- Date
- undated
Source label: Under investigationUnder investigation · 2 sources
- Publisher
- Greek City Times
- Date
- 7 Jun 2026
- Publisher
- Citizens.al
- Date
- 8 Jun 2026
Source label: UnverifiedUnverified · 1 source
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- undated