Company with Trump ties close to winning $1bn in Balkans energy contracts
The Story
A Guardian investigation reports that AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, an obscure company connected to Donald Trump, is close to securing contracts worth over $1bn to build a gas pipeline across the Balkans. The company has no record of similar-scale projects but has personal connections to Trump through Washington lawyer Jesse Binnall and Joe Flynn, brother of Trump’s former national security adviser. No competitive tender process has been used for the contract.
Key Facts
- AAFS is close to winning a concession to build and operate a pipeline to bring US fossil gas to replace Russian supplies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- One Bosnian official called it “the most important infrastructure project ever in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” speaking anonymously due to sensitive negotiations.
- AAFS’s US partners are Jesse Binnall, a lawyer who fought to overturn the 2020 election, and Joe Flynn, brother of Michael Flynn.
- AAFS’s Bosnian office is a small backstreet location; its local representative Amer Bekan said the office will move to a big building with 100 employees.
- The pipeline, called Southern Interconnection, would cost €300m with another €900m for three power plants, funded by equity and debt.
- New Bosnian legislation in March stipulated AAFS as the pipeline contractor without a competitive tender.
- The EU’s ambassador privately warned Bosnia’s leaders to consult Brussels on energy policy changes.
- The US State Department said the pipeline “has been a [US government] priority for the past three administrations.”
- Milorad Dodik, ultranationalist leader of Bosnia’s Serbs, had US sanctions lifted by the Trump administration after a lobbying campaign that included $100,000 paid to Michael Flynn.
- Donald Trump Jr visited Banja Luka in April for an event hosted by Dodik’s son.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
- Who are the unnamed shareholders of AAFS besides Binnall and Flynn?
- How were the American partners introduced to Amer Bekan?
- What returns do Binnall, Flynn, and others expect for themselves?
- Will the pipeline actually be built, given Bosnia’s ethnic divisions?
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Jesse Binnall (Washington lawyer, represented Trump in political cases)
- Joe Flynn (brother of Michael Flynn, healthcare entrepreneur, adviser to Trump campaigns)
- Amer Bekan (Bosnian representative of AAFS)
- Milorad Dodik (ultranationalist leader of Bosnia’s Serbs)
- Donald Trump Jr (eldest son of President Trump)
- Michael Flynn (former national security adviser, recipient of $1.25m settlement)
Sources: The Guardian
