Blog

Cybercrime now accounts for more than 30 percent of all recorded crime in more than half of the Asia and South Pacific countries surveyed by Interpol, according to the agency’s regional threat assessment.

Between January 2024 to March 2025, phishing and other online scams were the region’s most widespread and financially damaging cyber threats, while ransomware, DDoS attacks, data breaches, and AI-enabled crime kept growing fast.

Many law enforcement agencies still lack forensic tools, specialized training, and technical capacity which leaves developing countries and small island states especially exposed.

Meanwhile, more than 135,000 ransomware-related attacks were recorded in 2024. DDoS attacks rose by 92 percent from the previous year, and discussions of deepfakes on cybercriminal forums and Telegram channels used by Southeast Asian threat actors jumped by 600 percent between February and June 2024. 

The government of the Solomon Islands has suspended the Pacific nation’s police chief after OCCRP and its member center, In-depth Solomons, revealed in March that an internal investigation found he had destroyed drug evidence, intimidated dissenting officers, and lied to investigators.

The decision to suspend Ian Vaevaso was made by the governor-general on Wednesday on the recommendation of recently appointed Prime Minister Matthew Wale, who had previously called for the removal of the police commissioner when he was opposition leader.

Vaevaso was appointed as the head of the 3,000-officer department on April 24, despite allegations that in early 2024 he ordered subordinates to hand over confiscated methamphetamine and then dumped it into the sea.

Previous reporting by OCCRP and In-depth Solomons found that prosecutors last year recommended suspending and formally questioning Vaevaso ahead of potential criminal charges over the incident. However, the case was derailed by a bureaucratic standoff. 

The impasse—between prosecutors, the police department, and an oversight body called the Police and Prison Services Commission (PPSC)—meant that Vaevaso was not interviewed, suspended, or charged at the time.

His suspension now raises questions about the PPSC, which officials in the previous government had said formally closed the case against the police chief.

Wale’s press secretary Douglas Marau confirmed that the suspension was made on the advice of the new prime minister, who was sworn in last month.

“The decision was informed by the fact that several of the allegations in question were not raised prior to Mr. Vaevaso’s appointment,” Marau said.

Vaevaso, who has denied any wrongdoing, will now face an independent tribunal. Marau said this will provide the police commissioner with “a fair and transparent opportunity to clear his name.”

In a message on Thursday, Vaevaso wrote that he “fully respected and will fully support this process of the constitution. I am ready to face these made-up allegations raised against me.”

The suspension, which went into effect immediately, “serves to facilitate a thorough and impartial inquiry” into the allegations against Vaevaso, said Rawcliffe Ziza, private secretary to Governor-General David Tiva Kapu — whose role is largely ceremonial.

“The inquiry centers on the improper management of methamphetamine narcotics in 2024, alongside concerns regarding his selection for the role of police commissioner,” Ziza said.

The leadership change comes at a perilous moment for law enforcement in the Pacific. Small island states like the Solomons have increasingly become transit hubs for narcotics bound for lucrative markets in Australia and New Zealand. Highlighting the scale and sophistication of the illicit trade, at least seven so-called narco-submarines have been discovered in the region over the past two years—four of them in the Solomon Islands.

The influx of cheap methamphetamine has also begun driving a domestic addiction crisis in several Pacific island countries.

From the invisibility of women and girls to “media deserts” amid an artificial intelligence (AI) tsunami, dozens of UN independent experts have been shedding light on the battle for equal rights worldwide as the Geneva-based Human Rights Council continued its 62nd session on Thursday.

The United Nations has again called for freedom of movement for its peacekeepers in Lebanon who continue to closely monitor developments in the south of the country, including in the wake of the recent provisional agreement signed by the United States and Iran.

The Security Council debated conditions in Gaza at the request of its 10 elected members amid concern that the territory’s humanitarian crisis is being overshadowed by wider regional developments. The meeting took place under a ceasefire that has existed in name since October 2025 – but nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, and most Gazans remain displaced. Relief chief Tom Fletcher told ambassadors that “fragile gains” since the truce are “the bare minimum of what Palestinians need.” Follow live below and wider Meetings Coverage can be found here.

Millions of people already facing hunger, displacement and economic hardship could soon face another major climate shock, as UN agencies warned on Thursday that extreme weather risks are intensifying across some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

Two United Nations agencies have together welcomed more than $1 billion in assistance from the United States to support their operations targeting millions of children and hungry families in more than 40 countries.

Mass protests against a planned luxury resort in Albania are into their third week and questions remain about mystery investors, while the daughter and son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump have both spoken publicly in support of the project.

Now, court documents from a drug trafficking investigation reveal an explosive new element to the scandal that has shaken the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The documents reveal that an individual who sold land for the resort development — planned in the protected Vjosa-Narta lagoon — is also targeted by prosecutors in the trafficking case.

Albania’s office for the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, known as SPAK, said in a June 13 statement that it was seeking the arrests of 20 people allegedly involved in an international drug trafficking ring. While the public statement did not name the suspects or mention the planned resort, separate court filings provide more information.

A June 10 order by the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime — obtained by OCCRP’s Albanian member center, SHTEG — imposed a “preventative seizure” on a bank account holding more than 110 million euros ($127 million). According to the order, the funds originated from the sale of land “between parties Artur Shehu and Albanian Land Development sh.a.” 

The order does not say who controls the account, but the court documents show that Shehu sold land earmarked for the resort project. Albanian Land Development is one of the companies involved in the resort development. The court does not implicate the company in any wrongdoing.

A separate court order identified Shehu as suspected of offences including laundering money, and participation in an organized crime group.

The document names Shehu and another suspect, stating that “there are sufficient indications of their involvement in narcotics trafficking.” It specifies that investigators suspect Shehu of laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking. 

There is no evidence that Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, or any investors in the resort project, had knowledge of SPAK’s investigation or allegations against Shehu. 

Shehu did not respond to detailed questions sent to his known companies. Albanian Land Development did not respond to a request for comment regarding the SPAK asset seizures

Land ‘Conflicts’

Shehu and Albanian Land Development are also mentioned in a separate SPAK probe, which focuses specifically on property secured for the the luxury resort proposed for the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape — a lagoon on the Zvërnec peninsula, near the southern city of Vlorë.

A May 31 court decision authorized search warrants on premises related to individuals and companies that sold and facilitated the sale of land for the project. Prosecutors allege that much of land designated for the luxury resort was previously acquired using forged documents. The decision, obtained by reporters, states that Shehu sold property to Albanian Land Development. 

Shehu told an Albanian TV program that he had sold the properties through a middleman, and did not know who the buyer was. He said his ownership of the land was “undisputed,” Reuters reported.

However, the May 31 court decision notes that there are “longstanding and ongoing conflicts over time among several individuals, residents of the area, who claim ownership” of land sold for the project.

The court decision authorized the search of the residence of Pullumb Petritaj, who prosecutors allege has acted as Shehu’s representative in land dealings.

“Pullumb Petritaj was convicted and has faced numerous judicial proceedings related to the falsification of documents for properties associated with citizen Artur Shehu,” the court document states.

Petritaj is reportedly appealing his convictions. He did not respond to requests for comment.

In a 2021 investigation, OCCRP documented how Shehu and his family members had acquired hundreds of hectares of land around the county of Vlorë — including in the same area where the resort is now planned — even though local residents claimed they were the true owners.

Albanians have been caught up for decades in competing land claims — a legacy of the communists who nationalized property, and a subsequent spree of theft during attempts to return it to private ownership. A former director of the Real Estate Registration Office in Vlora told OCCRP in 2021 that separate court decisions have often granted the same land to different people.

That situation adds to an already bumpy road for the luxury development, which has been publicly championed by Rama, as well as Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

While media reports have suggested Kushner is financially involved in the resort project through his investment firm Affinity Partners, OCCRP has not found evidence of that. Affinity Partners did not respond to a request for comment. 

Fast Tracked Resort

Nestled along the sun-drenched Adriatic coast of Vlorë county, the Vjosa-Narta lagoon is one of Albania’s most pristine remaining landscapes. Along with a centuries-old monastery in Zvërnec village, the area is a delicate ecosystem that serves as a sanctuary for sea turtles, the rare Dalmatian pelican, and flocks of flamingos.

The peace of the lagoon was abruptly punctured on the morning of January 21 when a convoy of SUVs rolled through the coastal villages, escorted by police. 

Inside one of the luxury vehicles sat Ivanka Trump. Media outlets like the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network covered her visit, during which she reportedly lit candles at the Monastery of Saint Mary, photographed the wetlands, and dined twice with Rama.

In an interview later, Ivanka Trump gushed about “this beautiful peninsula with a lagoon on one side, the ocean on the other, beautiful white sand beaches.” 

Soon after her visit, the Albanian government approved a development permit for Zvërnec South Adriatic Development LLC, the company fronting the resort project. Corporate registry filings reveal a complex ownership structure that obscured the people behind the company.

With an address in a high-rise in the capital of Tirana, Zvërnec South Adriatic Development listed a sole Albanian administrator when it was created by a Dutch private limited company called Universal Properties Projects B.V.

Universal Properties Projects was registered at Amsterdam’s World Trade Center, in the business district of the Dutch capital, just four days before Zvërnec South Adriatic Development was established. The founding capital for Universal Properties Projects was a single euro. 

Corporate documents show that Universal Properties Projects was wholly owned by another Dutch company, Blue Industries Investment Holding B.V. The documents do not state the owners of Blue Industries Investment, but they show the company director was another firm called Dutch Trust Management B.V. 

The owners of Dutch Trust Management are unclear, but the firm’s two directors are citizens of Russia and Bulgaria who are both partners at an Amsterdam-based financial advisory firm.

The corporate gymnastics culminated in another transaction on May 7.

According to a share purchase agreement, Universal Properties Projects sold 100 percent of its stake in Zvërnec South Adriatic Development to Sazan Development Holding LLC, an entity registered in Qatar. 

The Qatari’s company’s ultimate beneficial owners were identified in a March 2026 Albanian registry declaration as Mohamad Moataz Mhd Ruslan Al Khayat, and Ramez Mhd Ruslan Al Khayyat. The brothers are Qatari businessmen who have been publicly linked to financing the Albanian resort development. 

One of the directors of Sazan Development Holding, Mahmoud Mutlak Subhi Abdel Khaliq, was also listed as an administrator of Albania Land Development — the company that acquired land from Shehu, who is named in the narcotics trafficking probe.

A document from Albania’s official beneficial ownership registry shows that Albania Land Development is owned by Sazan Land Holding, and that the Khayyat brothers control the company.

Flamingos and Swimming Pools

Rama has fiercely defended the planned resort in the Albanian Parliament, arguing that the Qatari investors are from a globally-renowned company. He has also pointed out that their investment funds are subject to anti-money-laundering oversight by Albanian authorities and international partners. 

Rama’s office did not respond to emailed questions, but he told Reuters recently that the project would go ahead, calling the estimated 4-billion-euro investment a “blessing for the country.” 

Rama has also publicly dismissed environmental concerns, stating that the permits issued so far are limited to temporary access roads and research activities, while environmental studies are still underway.

However, what began as a localized outcry over a planned development in a protected coastal enclave has rapidly spread into a nationwide reckoning over corruption. The two SPAK investigations only add to the controversy.

Already, protesters have been marching with placards calling for Edi’s resignation. Others carry messages like: “The homeland is not for sale.” Another is even more blunt: “You are thieves.”

Dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” protestors have flooded the grand boulevards of Tirana with many carrying pink likenesses of the iconic birds to symbolize the threat that the resort project may pose to the Vjosa-Narta lagoon.

Environmentalists point specifically to a controversial 2024 legislative change. That year, the Albanian Parliament amended the Law on Protected Areas, stripping away strict prohibitions on construction in ecologically sensitive zones, and paving the way for strategic investments.

Rama has argued that the lagoon’s protection status is designed for coexistence between nature and economic, social, and tourism activities, rather than a blanket ban on development.

Conservationists disagree.

“Permitting the construction of five-star resorts would transform the landscape into an urban area imposed upon the natural habitats of birds,” said Olsi Nika, executive director of Eco Albania. 

“In other words, where flamingos have their nests today, tomorrow there will be the swimming pool of a villa,” he said.

Additional reporting by Dragana Peco.