SPAK froze $195 million in the Zvërnec land case — then quietly released the funds within days, with no public statement

Albania's Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office, SPAK, issued a preventive sequestration order on 29 May 2026 freezing approximately 195 million dollars held at Banka Kombëtare Tregtare — funds transferred by Albania Land Development for land purchases in the Zvërnec area. The order was co-executed with the National Bureau of Investigation. A search was conducted of Redi Struga, the company's administrator, suspected of serving as an intermediary in a scheme involving the alteration and appropriation of land ownership rights in the Zvërnec protected landscape. Artur Shehu, residing in the United States, is suspected of leading the operation. Within approximately three days, SPAK reversed the sequestration and unfroze the accounts. Neither action was publicly announced. The sole stated reason, reported by Albanian media, was that maintaining the freeze risked exposing Albania to claims before international arbitration bodies. On 2 June, SPAK announced a separate formal preliminary corruption investigation covering changes to the protected status of Vjosa-Narta, the bypassing of public tender procedures and the origin of funds used to acquire land titles. Prime Minister Rama characterised the original asset freeze as arbitrary and said investors' funds had been shown to be legal. SPAK has not publicly commented on either the freeze, the release or the reasoning behind them.