\n<\/p>\n
On a graffitied Sarajevo backstreet, a path leads past an overgrown patch of garden to a white door. Beyond is the registered office of a company that is on the brink of winning contracts worth more than $1bn.<\/p>\n
AAFS Infrastructure and Energy is close to securing a concession to build and operate a pipeline across the Balkans to allow fossil gas shipped from the US to replace supplies that come from Russia. \u201cThis could be the most important infrastructure project ever in Bosnia and Herzegovina,\u201d says one of the country\u2019s top officials, who, like others, asks to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive negotiations.<\/p>\n
The company has no record of even attempting anything close to this scale. What it does have is personal connections to Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
One of AAFS\u2019s representatives is a Washington lawyer who has acted for the Trumps in political cases. The other is the brother of the president\u2019s former national security adviser. Both were part of a campaign that is close to Trump\u2019s heart: the effort to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n
A Guardian investigation, based on interviews with current and former Bosnian and US officials, leaked documents and corporate paperwork, has examined the obscure company that has been thrust into the global struggle for energy supremacy. It offers a glimpse of how international relations are changing under a presidency that blurs the line between government policy and the enrichment of the ruling family and those around it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a logic, in our current world, of having administration-connected people involved in big economic projects or investments,\u201d says a former senior US official in the region. \u201cIt is unsavoury but so much of my country\u2019s politics is unsavoury these days.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/span>(From left) Jesse Binnall, John Ginkel, charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires at the US embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Joe Flynn in Sarajevo in January.<\/span> Photograph: X<\/p>\n In the former Yugoslavia, the stakes are higher than just who might get rich. US intervention could undermine the peace deal it brokered in 1995 to end a war that killed 100,000, many of them Muslim Bosniak civilians massacred by Serb paramilitaries. A generation on, Bosnia\u2019s ethnic leaders are still manoeuvring for advantage.<\/p>\n US officials have left Bosnia\u2019s leaders in no doubt about what the Trump administration wants: the go-ahead for AAFS\u2019s pipeline.<\/p>\n When the Guardian knocks at AAFS\u2019s Sarajevo address, a woman calls down from an upstairs window that its local representative will be back soon. Amer Bekan arrives a few minutes later. A large middle-aged man, he says AAFS\u2019s office will be moving to a big building with 100 employees.<\/p>\n Map<\/p>\n Bekan\u2019s online CV calls him an \u201cinvestor and entrepreneur with extensive experience\u201d. He has tried politics as well. After coming last with 116 votes in a 2016 run for mayor in central Sarajevo, another campaign in 2020 led to him being accused of abusing the elections for personal gain, an allegation he denied.<\/p>\n Bekan registered a Bosnian company called AAFS in 2021. It was only after he brought in his American partners last year that it hit the big time. Neither he nor they will say how they were introduced.<\/p>\n Bekan\u2019s AAFS is now owned by a US company of the same name that was registered in November. Located in a tourist district by the Potomac River, the address AAFS gives for its Washington office sits between a Lebanese restaurant and an Irish pub. A sign identifies it as the premises of Binnall Law Group.<\/p>\n Jesse Binnall is a leading lawyer fighting the Maga cause. He was an aide to the 2016 campaign that carried Trump to the White House. In 2020, he was a leading voice undermining Joe Biden\u2019s victory. He declared: \u201cDonald Trump won \u2026 after you account for the fraud and irregularities that occurred.\u201d He defended Trump and his oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, against a lawsuit that sought to hold them responsible when rioters tried to overturn the result by storming the Capitol building.<\/p>\n Get in touch<\/p>\n If you have something to share about this story, you can contact Tom using one of the following methods:<\/p>\n The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS\/Android) and go to the menu. Select \u2018Secure Messaging\u2019. To send a message to Tom Burgis please choose the \u2018UK Investigations\u2019 team.<\/p>\n If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.<\/p>\n Finally, our guide at theguardian.com\/tips\u00a0lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span>Show more<\/span>One of AAFS\u2019s representatives is a Washington lawyer, Jesse Binnall, who has acted for the Trumps in political cases.<\/span> Photograph: Greg Nash\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Since Trump\u2019s return to power last year, Binnall has secured a $1.25m settlement from the justice department for Michael Flynn, who was briefly national security adviser in the president\u2019s first term. Despite having admitted lying to the FBI about covert contacts with Russia, Flynn alleged wrongful prosecution.<\/p>\n Binnall also came to know Flynn\u2019s brother Joe, a healthcare entrepreneur. They were fellow campaigners in the effort to discredit Biden\u2019s victory. Flynn served as president of one of the movement\u2019s best-funded vehicles, the America Project. And he was an adviser to Trump\u2019s 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns.<\/p>\n The White House referred questions to the state department, which said: \u201cThe Southern Interconnection gas pipeline, which has been a [US government] priority for the past three administrations, will expand and diversify Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s energy sector, giving BiH greater control over its energy supply by providing access to market-based natural gas and reducing dependence on a single, unreliable source.\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn and Binnall\u2019s qualifications for a Balkans infrastructure venture are not immediately apparent. But since they joined, the project has enjoyed the full-throated support of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n <\/span>The address AAFS gives for its Washington office sits between a Lebanese restaurant and an Irish pub and a sign identifies it as the premises of Binnall Law Group.<\/span> Photograph: Joseph Gedeon\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Binnall, Flynn and Bekan\u2019s initial discussions with Bosnian officials last autumn were about a $300m renovation of two airports. Then the Bosnian officials suggested they take on a much more significant project: the Southern Interconnection pipeline.<\/p>\n The US has long supported the plan to connect Bosnia to a gas terminal on Croatia\u2019s coast, which would reduce Vladimir Putin\u2019s influence in southern Europe. During Biden\u2019s time, the idea was for Bosnia\u2019s state gas company to run the project. But the competing interests of Bosnia\u2019s ethnic factions caused delay after delay.<\/p>\n While some Bosnian officials were wary of handing the project to foreign private interests, others saw enlisting a company connected to Trump as a chance to break the deadlock.<\/p>\n Time was running short. Bosnia is a candidate to join the EU, and Brussels has set a September 2027 deadline to cease buying gas from Russia, the source of Bosnia\u2019s entire supply.<\/p>\n Some senior Bosnian figures calculated that commissioning an American company could help not just energy security but safety more broadly in a region where war is a living memory. As Bekan says: \u201cThe US government protects its investments.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet some analysts fear Bosnia risks swapping one bully for another. No one appears to want to risk angering Trump, even if it means entrusting their hopes for a vital new energy artery to a venture with no demonstrated ability to get it done.<\/p>\n <\/span>Jesse Binnall secured a $1.25m settlement from the justice department for Michael Flynn, pictured, national security adviser in the president\u2019s first term. <\/span> Photograph: Carolyn Kaster\/AP<\/p>\n Asked who AAFS\u2019s shareholders are, Bekan says Binnall and Flynn plus others he declines to name. He suggests financing could come from \u201cinvestment funds in the United States\u201d, but says he cannot provide more information.<\/p>\n Binnall says: \u201cWe are the right team for this. No other group combines on-the-ground presence in Bosnia with strong support in America. And we\u2019re excited to take the leap because we believe Bosnia Herzegovina is the future.\u201d<\/p>\n A confidential AAFS proposal seen by the Guardian says the pipeline will cost \u20ac300m (\u00a3260m) with another \u20ac900m (\u00a3780m) for three power plants, with funding coming not from the Bosnian state but equity and debt. It does not specify what returns Flynn, Binnall and others involved expect for themselves.<\/p>\n In March, new Bosnian legislation stipulated that AAFS should be the pipeline contractor. There has been no competitive tender, the usual way to ensure contracts go to a competent bidder for a fair price.<\/p>\n Transparency International said: \u201cEstablishing such a practice in a country with one of the highest levels of corruption in Europe would lead to catastrophic consequences in the implementation of strategically important projects such as the Southern Interconnection gas pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n Days later, as the Guardian revealed, the EU\u2019s ambassador sent Bosnia\u2019s leaders a private warning that they should be consulting with Brussels on any changes in energy policy to \u201cavoid missing out on opportunities for further integration, as well as financial opportunities\u201d.<\/p>\n The US is undeterred. \u201cThis partnership strengthens energy independence and ends reliance on Russian gas,\u201d its Sarajevo embassy posted on X in April. \u201cA new era for energy security in the Western Balkans has begun.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet any new era will not begin until the Southern Interconnection is built. For that to happen, the Trump administration will need the friendship of the man who wants to break the country up.<\/p>\n Milorad Dodik, the ultranationalist leader of Bosnia\u2019s Serbs, was until recently treated as a pariah by Washington.<\/p>\n Biden\u2019s administration accused Dodik of abusing public office \u201cto accumulate personal wealth through graft, bribery, and other forms of corruption\u201d and expanded sanctions against him and his family. \u201cHis divisive ethno-nationalistic rhetoric reflects his efforts to \u2026 divert attention from his corrupt activities,\u201d a US Treasury statement said. Dodik called the sanctions \u201clies\u201d.<\/p>\n When Trump retook the presidency, Dodik embarked on a multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign to cultivate the Trump administration\u2019s support and have the sanctions lifted. The lobbyists styled Dodik\u2019s Serb nationalists as Trump\u2019s allies against Islam. One of them was Michael Flynn, who earned $100,000 for a month\u2019s work.<\/p>\n <\/span>The Trump administration cancelled sanctions against the ultranationalist Bosnian Serb politician Milorad Dodik, over alleged corruption, without explanation.<\/span> Photograph: Pavel Bednyakov\/EPA<\/p>\n In October, without explanation, the Trump administration cancelled the sanctions. On 7 April, Donald Trump Jr, the custodian of the family business empire, landed in Banja Luka, the main city in the Serbian half of Bosnia, for an event in his honour.<\/p>\n Dodik\u2019s son, Igor, gave Trump Jr a warm welcome. \u201cYour presence speaks volumes,\u201d he said. \u201cWe depend on you and we rely on you. In return, you, America and the Republican administration led by your father will have a reliable, truthful and Christian ally in this part of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Murphy, a former US ambassador to Bosnia, says Dodik is currying favour in Trump circles as he seeks to rip up the 1995 peace accord by declaring the Serb region independent. \u201cHe wants them to embrace his larger agenda. In order to get that, he can\u2019t screw with the pipeline.\u201d Those embracing him, he adds, are \u201cplaying with fire\u201d.<\/p>\n Under Bosnia\u2019s power-sharing arrangement, the Serbs could veto the pipeline. Dodik, who remains their leader despite giving up his official position, has every reason to do so. Like the recently defeated Victor Orb\u00e1n in Hungary, Dodik is an ally of Putin. Not only does Bosnia\u2019s existing pipeline bring Russian gas, magnifying Putin\u2019s leverage in the Balkans, it also runs across the Serbs\u2019 territory, giving them sway over energy supplies.<\/p>\n But a senior Bosnian Serb politician says: \u201cI saw this myself: Americans here have a number one priority and that\u2019s the pipeline. They are very, very keen on this. Dodik, like everyone else, was told: Don\u2019t play around with the project.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump Jr did not mention the pipeline or AAFS during his event. But he extolled the benefits of buying American gas. \u201cThat\u2019s a no-brainer,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can solve so many problems, both business-wise and, frankly, geopolitically on this one issue. I think it\u2019s a major opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n On 21 April, shortly after Trump Jr\u2019s visit, Dodik indicated he would not obstruct Binnall and Flynn\u2019s plan. That leaves the Trump associates\u2019 takeover of a crucial European energy project close to complete.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Joseph Gedeon in Washington<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On a graffitied Sarajevo backstreet, a path leads past an overgrown patch of garden to a white door. Beyond is the registered office of a company that is on the brink of winning contracts worth more than $1bn. AAFS Infrastructure and Energy is close to securing a concession to build and operate a pipeline across<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[4564,21028,19634,2071,371,4863,964,611,19635,8716,81],"class_list":{"0":"post-49919","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-1bn","9":"tag-balkans","10":"tag-bosnia","11":"tag-company","12":"tag-connected","13":"tag-contracts","14":"tag-donald","15":"tag-energy","16":"tag-herzegovina","17":"tag-obscure","18":"tag-trump"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}AAFS\u2019s Maga connections<\/h2>\n
Contact Tom Burgis about this story<\/h4>\n
Secure Messaging in the Guardian app<\/h4>\n
SecureDrop<\/h4>\n
No competitive tender process<\/h2>\n
Ultranationalist wants to rip up peace accord<\/h2>\n